A photo of Shahid Afridi watching the Indian team leave the stadium went viral after India Champions officially pulled out of the WCL 2025 semi-final against Pakistan Champions. The cancellation came in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terrorist attack in India, in which 26 civilians were killed.
The viral moment captured Afridi standing alone on the stadium balcony as the Indian players packed up and exited, shortly after confirming their decision to withdraw from the WCL semi-final. The image circulated widely across social media platforms, especially on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube Shorts.
India had also lost their group customs game to Pakistan earlier. World Championship of Legends organizers made things clear that in cases where India refused to play, Pakistan Champions had to proceed to the final of WCL.
Earlier in the tournament, Afridi had commented: “Pata nahi ab kis muh se khelga par khelega hamare sath hi.” The remark gained renewed attention after the Indian team’s withdrawal, with online users calling the incident a “backfire moment.”
Afridi later stated that there might have been one person influencing the Indian team’s decision not to play against Pakistan, without naming anyone. The tournament organizers respected India’s decision and proceeded with the final arrangements without them.
