 "'Shikhar Dhawan and Afridi did all that fake acting': Fans riled up over former India cricketers willing to play against Pakistan in WCL")
Former India cricketers, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, and Shikhar Dhawan, have drawn scathing criticism on social media for participating in the World Championship of Legends tournament alongside Pakistan players. The competition includes a respective legends team from both nations, and as per the schedule, the India vs Pakistan clash is slated to take place on Sunday, July 20.
As the tournament takes place amid a tenuous phase between the two countries, fans have gone hard on the Indian stalwarts for getting onboard with the competition, where they will have to play against Pakistan.
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Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh face fans’ anger
The situation brought Shikhar Dhawan to the centre stage as the cricketer was quite vocal on X when a war-like situation brewed between India and Pakistan in May. Dhawan traded barbs with former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi as well on the micro-blogging platform as the tension on the border spiked.
Ghatiya desh ne fir apna ghatiyapan poori duniya ke aage dikha diya. #Pakistan#Ceasefire
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) May 10, 2025
However, within a couple of months, Dhawan appears to have moved past the disagreement and is now willing to share space with Afridi on the field. Users on social media didn’t let it go unnoticed, questioning the former Indian cricketer about the contradiction between his previous statements and current actions. Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh also faced criticism as they had previously posted messages of patriotism but are now set to compete against Pakistan on July 20.
Indian ex cricketers like Harbhajan, Yuvraj & Dhawan are happily playing WCL matches vs Pakistan in a private league! But when it’s public, they scream nationalism. Why does the Govt stay silent? Is deshbhakti only for common people, not celebs? Hypocrisy much? https://t.co/aelQzXKJNC
— Cricket for her (@coverdrivetoher) July 18, 2025
Shikhar Dhawan and Afridi did all that fake acting of patriotism in war just to play against each other again on Sunday. I am saying that again patriotism is only for normal public . India will also play with Pakistan in Asia cup too . #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/ZycCbezndG
— kirat.13_ (@kirat8513) July 18, 2025
Cricket has always been at the receiving end of the acrimony shared by India and Pakistan. Subsequently, more than a decade has passed since a bilateral series between the two took place. However, the arch-rivals often collide in international tournaments like the ICC ODI World Cup and ICC T20 World Cup.
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