Rauf Slams India-PAK For WCL Boycott: 'Saath Shopping, Par Public Ke Saamne...'
Ex-cricketer Abdur Rauf criticized Indian and Pakistani veterans for canceling the 2025 Legends World Championship, accusing them of public division but private mingling.
Former Pakistan international Abdur Rauf has made a scathing attack on veterans from India and Pakistan whose decisions led to the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 match, scheduled for Sunday, getting called off. He alleged that the players from the two teams roam, mingle, and even go shopping together, but portray a different image of division and pride in front of the public.
India and Pakistan were scheduled to play the game on Sunday evening. However, after backlash from players like Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, and Yuvraj Singh, who were strongly pro-India and anti-Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attacks, they started to withdraw from the game one by one. WCL eventually announced canceling the game, saying they assumed normalcy and unknowingly hurt the sentiments of those involved.
'Public ke saamne yeh dikhate ho ki hum nahi khelenge, aur saath mein ghumoge and shopping karoge, yeh unfair hai [You show the public that you won't play each other, but behind the scenes you travel together and go shopping — that's unfair]," Rauf said, as quoted by The Times of India.
'They hang around together, eat together, party together — then when it comes to playing a match, why do they portray a different picture in front of the public?" Rauf asked. 'It's not just Pakistani players — even Indian players feel it. We've played together, shared dressing rooms, eaten together, gone shopping on tours, stayed in each other's hotel rooms — we're friends off the field. To then portray such a hard divide to the public — like 'we won't play them' — that creates unnecessary hype," he added.
'Behind the scenes, the reality is very different. The fans, who come with so much excitement and emotion, are left disappointed. It's not a good look for cricket. We owe better to the game and its fans," Rauf said.
WCL is a private league, co-owned by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan. It doesn't come under the BCCI's ambit. But while the board bars Pakistani players from IPL and is against bilateral cricket with the neighbor, it's also under pressure regarding the Asia Cup and ICC World Cup matches between the countries later this year.
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First Published:
July 20, 2025, 17:39 IST
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