NEW DELHI: India Champions have opted out of the World Championship of Legends semi-final against Pakistan, scheduled for Thursday, reaffirming their firm stance against participating in competitive matches against their arch-rivals, according to a report from PTI.The decision comes despite India Champions securing their place in the semifinals after a dominant win over West Indies Champions, chasing down the target in just 13.2 overs in their final group-stage match on Tuesday.
Earlier in the tournament, the league-stage clash between India and Pakistan was officially called off following strong objections from Indian players and a key tournament sponsor. This was followed by public statements from former India cricketers, including Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, declaring they would not take part in the match.On Wednesday, one of the tournament’s main sponsors, EaseMyTrip, also withdrew its support for the India-Pakistan semi-final, reinforcing its policy of not associating with any fixture involving Pakistan.“We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game, Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand. @EaseMyTrip, we stand with India. We cannot support any event that attempts to normalise relations with a country that promotes terrorism.“The people of India have spoken and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first business later, Always,” Nishant Pitti, co-founder of the travel-tech company, said in a statement on Wednesday.It has been a turbulent campaign for the India Champions. They started with an 88-run defeat to South Africa Champions (via DRS method), and went on to lose back-to-back matches against Australia (by 4 wickets) and England (by 23 runs). Their only point prior to the West Indies game came from the abandoned match against Pakistan.
