Shahid Afridi riles up India, takes a veiled dig at Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh: ‘Bechaare jab se paida huye hain…’

The Asia Cup 2025 has well and truly begun, and all eyes are on the upcoming contest between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. This would be the first match between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The boycott calls continue to grow in India, as fans express their frustration over the match going ahead despite the national sentiments. Ahead of the crucial game, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi riled up India as he took a veiled dig at Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh over the cancellation of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 match between the arch-rivals.

Earlier this year, India Champions, led by Yuvraj, were slated to take on Pakistan Champions in the WCL. However, the organisers cancelled the game at the last minute, looking at the social media outrage. Some former Indian players, such as Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Suresh Raina, pulled out of the contest, leading to the organisers pulling the plug.

In his statement on social media, Dhawan made it clear that he had informed the organisers well in advance that he wouldn’t play the match against Pakistan in WCL 2025.

In the aftermath, Afridi had said that “one bad egg” can spoil everything as he took a veiled dig at Dhawan. The former Pakistan captain has once again spoken about the matter in the build-up to the Asia Cup tie.

“I have always said that cricket should go on; it has always helped in making the relations better between the two countries. In England, people had bought tickets to see the WCL match, and the players had practised. Then you didn’t play. What was the thinking? I just can’t understand,” Afridi said on Samaa TV.

Also Read: Shahid Afridi crosses the line after Shikhar Dhawan retaliates with ‘aur kitna giroge?’ remark

“Agar mai naam lunga na iss waqt, toh wo beechare phass jayenge (If I name any player, then their lives would be made hard). The player I referred to as a bad egg, his captain also told him, ‘If you don’t want to play, then don’t play. Just don’t tweet on social media. But that said, the player had come with an ulterior motive. That is why he was a bad egg,” he added.

‘Certain players trying to prove they are Indian’

The former Pakistan captain, who was a part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2009, didn’t stop there as he went on to make a bizarre claim that some former players are still trying to prove they are Indian.

“There are plenty of issues. Gharon tak paunch jaate hain, ghar jalaane ki dhamkiyaan dete hain un players ko. Kuch aise hain jo vahan saabit kar rahe hain ki hum Hindustaani hain. Bechaare jabse paida huye hain saabit kar rahe hain hum hindustani hain. (Some people reach the houses of players and threaten to burn them down, so what more should I say? Certain players are still trying to prove they are Indian. They have been displaying this ever since being born). Now they are doing commentary in the Asia Cup,” said Afridi.

This is not the first time that Afridi has made some shocking and bizarre claims against India. After the Pahalgam terror attack, he had questioned the Indian Armed Forces, and this led to a war of words between Dhawan and Afridi on X (formerly Twitter).