"Don't Play Pakistan In World Cup, Olympics": India Asked To Promise After Legends Match Decision
Former Pakistan opening batter Salman Butt questioned the Yuvraj Singh -led India Champions team's decision to withdraw from the contest against Pakistan. Butt sought a promise from the Indian team that they would maintain the same stance when the two teams are scheduled to play against each other in an ICC event.
Whenever it comes to a cricketing contest between India and Pakistan, such narratives often become the talk of the town but it isn't the same when other sporting contests between the two countries are scheduled. Butt wants India vs Pakistan sporting battles to be prohibited even in events like the Olympics.
"The whole world is talking about them - what message have they sent to cricket as a whole and to the fans? What are you trying to show? What are you trying to prove? Now don't play in the World Cup...don't play against us in any ICC tournament. Make this a promise. See, we understand that everything has its own place. But now that you are interlinking, don't play against us at any level or tournament. Not even the Olympics. Please do that. I would love to see. The stakes would be high, and I'd see how much nationalism they can show at that level," he said on his YouTube channel.
To conclude, the former Pakistan opener said the WCL decision seemed 'pressured' from his point of view.
"What is this mindset? I just can't understand. Who is making this decision? Those 4-5 people who decided not to play, because of them, others, who probably had the mindset to play, felt pressured," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
10 minutes ago
- First Post
Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy play out sedate draw in Game 1 of FIDE Women's World Cup final
IM Divya Deshmukh held GM Koneru Humpy to a 41-move stalemate while playing with white pieces in Game 1 if the FIDE Women's World Cup final in Batumi, Georgia despite committing a knight blunder in her 12th move. read more Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and International Master Divya Deshmukh in action during the all-Indian final of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. Image: FIDE The FIDE Women's World Cup final between Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and International Master Divya Deshmukh was off to a sedate start in Batumi, Georgia on Saturday with the two Indians playing out a draw. Divya played as white in the first Classical game of the final, which began with a Queen's Gambit opening, and managed to hold her ground despite committing a blunder with her knight (12. Nxc4) along with a couple of other questionable moves. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It wasn't just the two Indians playing out a draw on Saturday, with the all-Chinese showdown between Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi for the third place also ending in a 34-move stalemate. Lei and Tan had lose to Humpy and Divya respectively in the semi-finals, the latter in the tie-breaks where she was leading 3-2 at one stage. Humpy and Divya set up exciting Day 2 of World Cup final With Humpy and Divya collecting half-a-point each as a result of the stalemate in Game 1, the second Classical game that takes place on Sunday becomes something of a decider so long as one of the two emerges triumphant. Should both Classical games end in a draw, the winner of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup will be decided through a series of tie-breaks with decreasing time controls, starting with two 15+10 games following by two 10+10 games. Game 1 of the Final between 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh and 🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru ends in a draw! #FIDEWorldCup — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 26, 2025 Divya will be hoping to secure her Grandmaster title without having to collect the three norms required to attain that status by virtue of being crowned World Cup champion. Humpy, on the other hand, will be aiming to collect her second major triumph in less than a year after being crowned women's rapid champion for the second time in her career last December. Both finalists have qualified for next year's Women's Candidates and will be accompanied by the winner of the Lei vs Tan face-off.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
10 minutes ago
- First Post
WTT Contender Lagos: Sathiyan-Akash pair wins men's doubles title; Sreeja loses to Hashimoto
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Akash Pal defeated the French pair of Leo De Nodrest and Julles Rolland in straight games in just under 22 minutes to be crowned men's doubles champions in Lagos. read more Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Akash Pal pose with their trophies after being crowned men's doubles champions at the WTT Contender event in Lagos, Nigeria. Image credit: Reliance Foundation India's Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Akash Pal won the men's doubles title beating French pair of Leo De Nodrest and Julles Rolland in straight games in just under 22 minutes at the WTT Contender event in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday. However, ace woman paddler Sreeja Akula went down 1-4 to second seed Honoka Hashimoto in a 48-minute battle. Hashimoto won 11-7, 11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 13-11 in a hard-fought encounter. Sreeja didn't find her rhythm in the first three games as she was nearly down and out in just 20 minutes, losing three games on trot. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, she fought back winning the fourth game and also took the fifth game to the tie-breaker. Earlier, Indian men's doubles pair brushed aside the challenge from the French in quick time winning 11-9, 11-4, 11-9 at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall in the Nigerian capital. More from Sports Belgian GP: Lando Norris seals pole position after Max Verstappen wins sptrint The Indian pair dominated the summit clash from start to finish winning 19 points on their own service and another 14 on the opposition serve.
India Today
10 minutes ago
- India Today
China Open 2025: Satwiksairaj, Chirag Shetty lose to familiar foes in semifinals
Former World No. 1 and India's top-ranked men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, crashed out of the China Open, a Super 1000 tournament held in Changzhou, on Saturday. The Indian duo lost in straight games to World No. 2 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, 13-21, 17-21, in under an was a subdued performance from the Indian stars, who had displayed impressive form en route to the semi-finals. The Malaysian pair dominated proceedings from start to finish, never allowing Satwik and Chirag-renowned for their explosive style-any space to settle or build momentum. In both games, the Indians were constantly on the back foot, unable to mount any sustained pressure on their defeat marked their third consecutive loss to Aaron and Soh, who continue to be a significant obstacle for the Indian pair. Of the 14 meetings between the two pairs, the Malaysians have emerged victorious 11 times. Notably, one of their most painful defeats came in the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Satwik and Chirag are now enduring a title drought spanning over a year. Although they started the 2025 season strongly-reaching the semi-finals of both the Malaysia Masters and the India Open-a title still eludes them. Their most recent victory came in May 2024, when they clinched a Super 500 crown in Thailand. Their 2024 season was marred by injury concerns, following a disappointing show in the Paris the setback, the Indian duo can draw positives from yet another strong showing at the Super 1000 level. They booked their place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought win over the Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the quarter-finals on has been a year of consistent results for the pair, who also reached the semi-finals at the India Open, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Open earlier in the RESULTS IN SINGELSMeanwhile, in the women's singles draw, India's PV Sindhu was knocked out in the Round of 16 by 17-year-old compatriot Unnati Hooda. However, the teenager's run ended in the quarter-finals, where she was defeated in straight games by former world champion Akane the men's singles, there was further disappointment as Lakshya Sen exited in the first round, while HS Prannoy bowed out in the second round. (With PTI inputs)- EndsMust Watch
