Why Indian cricketers refused to play against Pakistan in WCL 2024 and the geopolitical message it sends
India’s Cricket Legends Boycott Pakistan—A Bold Stand in WCL Tournament
India’s cricketing legends have shown how to boycott Pakistan and what kind of impact it can have.
WCL—World Champions of Legends—decided to organize a cricket match between the India and Pakistan teams. This is a tournament where retired cricketers from Pakistan, India, and other countries participate.
This tournament has a decent fan following because it features very famous names, including Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and Yuvraj Singh. From the Pakistan side, there are Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik—such cricketers who are well-known names in their respective countries. So, it gets a lot of viewership.
Indian Legends Refuse to Play—WCL Issues Apology
Recently, they organized an India-Pakistan match. The Indian legends openly said that they would not play against Pakistan.
And after that, WCL issued an apology saying, “We’re sorry. We should not have organized this match.”
WCL’s Justification: Signs of Normalization?
However, the WCL organizers also shared their side. They said, “We heard that Pakistan’s hockey team is coming to India. So, when we heard this, we felt that the situation between the two countries is normalizing, so we thought of organizing a WCL match as well.”
Now, this reasoning isn’t entirely wrong either.
Indian Government’s Stance on Sports Diplomacy
Because, if you see, India’s Sports Minister openly said that the Indian government is open to Pakistan participating in global sports events.
Whether a global sports event is happening in India or elsewhere, Pakistan can participate. We have no problem.
Pakistan’s Scheduled Participation in Indian Sports Events
And this year, as you all know:
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The Men’s Asia Cup Hockey Tournament will be held in Bihar
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The FIH Junior World Cup is going to be in Tamil Nadu
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The Junior Shooting World Cup will be hosted by New Delhi
In all three events, it’s being reported that Pakistani players will attend. They will be welcomed.
Legends Hold the Line – Public Stance Against Playing Pakistan
Seeing all this, the WCL organizers are saying that when it seemed Pakistan’s players were coming to India, they felt the situation was normalizing.
But here, I must say—kudos to India’s former legends.
Not only did they openly tell WCL that they would not play against Pakistan, but they also posted about it on social media: “We will not play against Pakistan.”
Shikhar Dhawan’s Official Statement
Below you can see a formal notification of Mr. Shikhar Dhawan’s non-participation in matches against Pakistan.
It’s clearly written that Shikhar Dhawan will not participate in any matches against Pakistan.
Contradictions Raised on Social Media
Now, if you look at social media, many Pakistani commentators and cricketers are posting and saying:
When the Indian Sports Minister has already said there’s no problem playing against Pakistan ahead of the Asia Cup, then why was the WCL match canceled?
Lessons from the West: Sports and Geopolitics Do Mix
See, in my opinion, a very good example has been set by India’s legendary cricketers.
And if you ask me whether sports and geopolitics should be mixed, they are two separate things, right?
I’ll tell you a clear fact.
How the U.S. and Allies Handled Russia’s Ukraine Invasion
The United States of America and its Western allies, when Russia initially invaded Ukraine in 2022 (which you could say was Russia’s “special operation”), immediately appealed to all sporting bodies to remove Russia altogether.
And today, the U.S., Western Europe, Japan, and South Korea—all have
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Removed Russia from global sporting bodies
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Ensured that the Russian flag doesn’t appear in any major sporting event
Russian Flag Absent from Global Sports
You might’ve noticed that during chess tournaments, flags of all participating countries are displayed—India’s, the U.S.’s, Norway’s—but you won’t see Russia’s.
The Western countries made this happen.
India May Not Be a Superpower, But It Has Leverage
Now again, I agree—India currently does not have the same geopolitical weight as the U.S., Europe, Japan, etc.
But at least we can do this much—that a country whose government openly supports the TRF, protects the TRF, which continuously kills unarmed Indians in Jammu & Kashmir—
At least we can decide not to play cricket against them.
Sending the Right Message on Terror Sponsorship
This sends the message that the situation is not normal.
We cannot pretend that everything’s fine with a country sponsoring terrorism against India.
And then play cricket with them, India’s ministers shaking hands with their cricketers, sitting together, laughing.
Because, see—when a cricket match happens, people will shake hands, sit together, and laugh.
What message does that send overall?
The U.S. Refused to Play Russia Even Before Formal Bans
Here’s another point.
Before Russia was officially removed from global sporting bodies, during that process, too, if a match was scheduled between Russia and the U.S., U.S. teams refused to play.
Just like these Indian legends are doing, U.S. players also clearly said: “We won’t play against Russia.”
U.S. Soccer Team Refused to Play Russia in 2022
For example, the U.S. soccer team (football team) in 2022 refused to participate in a match against Russia.
And again—note—Russia hadn’t attacked the U.S.; it had attacked Ukraine.
But geopolitically, the U.S. was deeply involved in supporting Ukraine, so even their sports bodies and players jumped in.
Mixing Sports and Geopolitics is Not New
So this argument—that we shouldn’t mix geopolitics and sports—is nonsense.
If you look at history, you’ll find countless examples where, in the national interest, American and European teams have refused to play against adversary countries.
India Still Treats Pakistan Normally in Sports
It’s only in India that we see this—Pakistan, a country harming us at the border, did a lot of shelling, yet we say:
“If Pakistan’s team comes, no problem. We will welcome Pakistan.”
The Financial Power of Indian Cricket
And today, India’s market is so huge. We have such financial power that if India’s players simply refuse to play against a particular team, the entire event becomes unprofitable.
Example: WCL Cancels Match After India Pulls Out
It’s not like Shikhar Dhawan or the others refused to play against Pakistan, and WCL still said, “No, no, the match is too important. It will happen.”
They know—without India, there’s no tournament.
Cricket Without India? Viewership Drops Drastically
And you all know this—remove India from the Cricket World Cup, and let’s say we extend the IPL or host another big tournament in India—its viewership will be 10 times higher.
India’s Passive Approach Needs to Change
And this is something we don’t do.
Many Indians don’t even understand this. While the rest of the world has a strict no-nonsense attitude against terrorism and against countries hurting their interests, we keep playing.
Should India Apply the Same Policy in ICC Tournaments?
So now I ask you all a question:
Do you believe that the example set in WCL should be followed by India in ICC tournaments and other sports events too?
India Can Lead—But Someone Has to Start
Let me say it clearly—India’s market is so big that we can compel major sporting bodies to make the right decisions.
Someone has to start.
If everyone just assumes they can’t do anything, then nothing will change.
India vs. Pakistan: Unequal Markets, Clear Leverage
Today, the gap between India and Pakistan’s markets is like heaven and earth.
We can openly boycott Pakistan in sports, and there will be a visible impact.
Time to Shed the ‘Soft State’ Tag
Now again—if relations were perfect, no terrorism, etc.—obviously, there would be no problem playing sports.
But that’s not the situation.
So if India really wants to shed the ‘soft state’ tag and become proactive, we must send a clear message to global sporting bodies.
Broadcasting in India? Respect Our Standards
If you want to broadcast your event in India and earn money from India’s audience, then you must understand:
Countries that sponsor terrorism should not have teams participating.
This Should Be India’s Open Demand
This should be India’s open demand, and all Indians should back it.
Only then can we do something big.
Final Thoughts—What Should India Do?
Do you believe India should adopt the same stance as the U.S., Japan, and other developed countries—that they will not play sports with adversary nations?
Or will we continue with India’s ‘chalta hai’ attitude, saying things like “it’s okay, we won’t do it next time,” etc.?