Suresh Raina breaks silence on not taking field against Pakistan in WCL 2025: ‘Had we played, we would’ve crushed them'

The second edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) came to an end on Saturday with AB de Villiers' South Africa Champions beating Pakistan Champions in the summit clash by nine wickets at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The Proteas chased down the target of 196 with 19 balls to spare, owing to skipper de Villiers' whirlwind 120-run knock off 60 balls, with the help of 12 fours and 7 sixes. Suresh Raina breaks silence on not playing against Pakistan(IPL)

Following the conclusion of the match, former India batter Suresh Raina congratulated South Africa and de Villiers for getting the better of Pakistan in the final. He also said that if India had played against the arch-rival, they would have crushed them too.

It must be mentioned that India were slated to face Pakistan twice in the WCL 2025 (once in the group stage and then in the semi-final), but the team chose not to play both the games as they kept national sentiments in mind.

Ever since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, calls have been growing for India not to engage in any sort of activity, including sports, with Pakistan. Before the group stage match between India and Pakistan, there was a lot of outrage on social media, and this led to the organisers calling off the game.

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"What a knock by @ABdeVilliers17 in the final, absolutely smashed it. Had we played, we would’ve crushed them too, but we chose our nation above everything else. Full respect to @EaseMyTrip and @nishantpitti for standing firm and not supporting any match involving them. That’s real character," Raina wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

India opts out of the semi-final

India defeated the West Indies to reach the semi-final of WCL 2025. The draw then had them slated to square off against Pakistan. However, a day prior to the match, the India Champions told the organisers that they would not be playing the match against Pakistan.

As a result, India crashed out of the tournament and Pakistan reached the final of the T20 competition.

South Africa had made it to the final of the competition after registering a thrilling one-run victory over Australia in the semi-final.

The first edition of the tournament was won by the India Champions after they defeated Pakistan in the all-important final.

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