New Delhi, July 30
India Champions have declined to participate in the World Championship of Legends semifinal against Pakistan, scheduled for Thursday, maintaining their previous stance of not engaging in competitive fixtures against their arch-rivals.
India Champions entered the semifinals of the ongoing World Championship of Legends after defeating West Indies Champions in just 13.2 overs in their last group match on Tuesday.
Earlier, the league stage game between the two nations was officially called off, following strong objections from Indian players and a principal tournament sponsor, which was follwed by public declarations from former India cricketers, including Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, who stated they would not participate in the match.
"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 roller-coaster tournament for India Champions, who began with a heavy 88-run loss to South Africa Champions (via DRS method), followed by back-to-back defeats against Australia (4 wickets) and England (23 runs). Their only point before the West Indies match came from the abandoned game against Pakistan.