(Image Credit: ANI/ACC)
Shahid Afridi has once again created a stir when he made a veiled insinuation towards Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh, both of whom were once again on the Indian cricket team, in reference to a cancelled World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 match between India Champions captained by Yuvraj and Pakistan Champions. The game was cancelled at the eleventh hour, to a great extent due to the social media pressure and backlash. A few of the Indian ex players such as Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina had already withdrawn or indicated their non cooperation.
Afridi, who was present in Samaa TV, wondered why the game was not to be played even after the tickets had been sold and players trained. He called one of them a bad egg, which implied that he or she made everything go bad. He said that their captain had told them, do not want to play, do not play but do not use social media to make a grandstand. Besides, Afridi claimed that the concerned player had an ulterior motive.
Further on Afridi made an even larger remark that some ex Indian players are always attempting to establish themselves as being Indian. According to him these players had been trying since the time they were born, to prove they are Indians ‘Bechaare jabse paida huye hain saabit kar rahe hain hum Hindustani hain’ meaning Poor things, they have been proving since they were born that they are Indians. Due to these controversies, he claimed he had received threats to the homes of the players as well, ‘gharon tak paunch jaate hain, ghar jalaane ki dhamkiyaan dete hain un players ko’ as well.
It is not the first time that Afridi and Dhawan were exchanging barbs. Following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, Afridi had made comments about the Indian Armed Forces, which Dhawan reacted to, and the result was a public war of words. The context to all of this is the current Asia Cup 2025, and specifically the upcoming India vs Pakistan game in Dubai a high stakes emotionally charged game given the recent incidents such as the Pahalgam assault, and the increased boycott pressure in India. The cancellation of the WCL and the claims and counterclaims of players and former players are becoming part of larger stories of nationalism and identity and the strains on high stakes international competition athletes.
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