Shahid Afridi brings Atal Bihari Vajpayee in mix in describing IND vs PAK ties amid WCL boycott; ‘it’s embarrassing…’

Shahid Afridi brought former Prime Ministers Parvez Musharraf and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in describing the Indo-Pak relationship after the India Champions withdrew against Pakistan Champions twice in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL). The Yuvraj Singh-led side first pulled out against the arch-rivals in the league stage before doing the same in the WCL 2025 semifinals, helping the Men in Green's smooth entry in to the summit clash.

The Indian players' withdrawal against Pakistan Champions in WCL 2025 came after their decision to put the nation first and severe social media backlash in the light of Pahalgam attack that killed 26 innocent lives on April 22. Shikhar Dhawan was one of the Indians players to publicly withdraw from the game.

In a viral video, Afridi reiterated the message of message of diplomacy while describing the India-Pakistan relations. “I have always said there is no better diplomacy than sports diplomacy," Afridi continued.

"Our relationship (India-Pakistan) had not been good in the past but matches didn't stop, if you remember time of (Parvev) Musharaf and (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee. If you don't sit, don't play together it creates a distance,” added Afridi.

“Cricket should happen, we should keep politics aside. If politics is a part of everything, then we can't go ahead,” Afridi stated. The India-Pakistan political differences have been an old story for decades. Afridi's Vajpayee reference came from India's Pakistan tour in 2024. 

It was Vajpayee's peace initiative in 2003 that led the Indian cricket team to tour their neighbours after a gap of almost 15 years.