'War was still very raw, my soul wasn’t ready to play' - Shikhar Dhawan breaks silence on boycotting Pakistan game in WCL 2025

Published - 02 Oct 2025, 15:44 IST | Updated - 02 Oct 2025, 16:14 IST

Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has finally opened up on why he chose not to play against Pakistan during the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. The Indian Champions team, under the captaincy of Yuvraj Singh, forfeited both their matches against the Pakistan Legends team, including a semi-final, in protest following the Pahalgam terror attacks. Dhawan has now revealed the reasons behind his decision.

The WCL, a private league featuring retired cricketing greats from across the world, was played in July 2025 across Birmingham, Northampton, Leicester, and Leeds. However, the tournament took place just months after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 Indian civilians lost their lives. The Indian government’s subsequent military response, named Operation Sindoor, further heightened the tensions between India and Pakistan. Dhawan shared that he had informed the organisers well in advance that he would not participate in matches against Pakistan.

“I had already told the organisers two months before the event that I wouldn’t play against Pakistan. Because for me, I feel that whatever happened—the terror attacks, Operation Sindoor and the war—was still very raw and my soul wasn’t ready to play. So I didn’t play. And that time, I already told them that I didn’t want to play. And even when I went there, I didn’t feel right to play against Pakistan at that moment. And that time, there was a little bit of internal sadness because of how things happened, the way our Indians, our Hindu brothers, were attacked—that was very wrong. So, that hurt remained. That’s why I respected that hurt and I went with that,” Dhawan said on an appearance on the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast. “It’s very unfortunate that these things happen in this era. See, someone’s family, their whole family was destroyed. Poor people, they had just gone for a trip. The family was destroyed. It’s a very sad thing," he said on the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast.

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While India and Pakistan continue to face each other in ICC and ACC tournaments, Dhawan explained that WCL, being a private event, gave him the freedom to take a stand. The veteran also spoke about the atmosphere when the two countries faced each other, back when he was playing.

“The atmosphere is different. The whole environment changes. Both sets of fans come with full intensity. Everything is driven by the environment. The atmosphere builds up. The India-Pakistan atmosphere starts building up two-three days in advance. All the Indian fans will come, the Pakistani fans will come. They’ll gather below the hotel. Drums are playing, they’re dancing, they’re singing, and when you step out for the match, all the fans are there, Indian and Pakistani both, and they are shouting. There is a noise during the match. So, it’s a different, very electrifying energy environment. A different, different atmosphere. As a player, the goal is always to perform well. We have to do well against them, we have to win against Pakistan, and it’s essential to make our country win… It’s fun to beat them. That was fun. Like when I scored a century in the Asia Cup, I told everyone there that I would tell my grandparents that I beat Pakistan. It’s a different level of competition and a different energy all together," he added.