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“We Would’ve Crushed Pakistan Too”: Raina’s Fiery Take After India’s WCL Boycott

Aakash Saini

Suresh Raina and Pakistan-C players [Source: @mufaddal_vohra, @RehanNaila1970/x]Suresh Raina and Pakistan-C players [Source: @mufaddal_vohra, @RehanNaila1970/x]

South Africa Champions crushed Pakistan by nine wickets and with more than three overs to spare in the final to lift the 2025 World Championship of Legends (WCL) title. Chasing 196 runs in Birmingham, Proteas captain AB de Villiers clattered 120* off 60 balls to record his third century of the tournament.

India Champions batter Suresh Raina took note of Villiers’ belligerence and congratulated the South Africans for winning the final. However, the former cricketer also made a bold claim in the process regarding the semifinal match which the Indian team boycotted against Pakistan owing to the prevailing geo-political tensions shared between the two countries.

Suresh Raina Says Indian Players Kept “Nation Above Trophy”

Suresh Raina claimed that the India Champions team would also have defeated Pakistan in the semifinal, but the players decided to prioritise the “nation above the WCL trophy”. The former Indian batter also congratulated AB de Villiers for his match-winning ton in the final.

Taking to X shortly after the WCL 2025 title clash, Suresh Raina praised Indian travel website EaseMyTrip for pulling out sponsorship from the Pakistan game. He wrote:

“What a knock by AB de Villiers in the final, absolutely smashed it. Had we played, we would’ve crushed them too, but we chose our nation above everything else. - Keep the focus on this. Full respect to EaseMyTrip and @nishantpitti for standing firm and not supporting any match involving them. That’s real character.”

It is worth noting that India Champions qualified for the semifinal of the WCL 2025 season after defeating West Indies in their final match of the opening round. While they were scheduled to face Pakistan Champions in the first semifinal on July 31 in Birmingham, the Yuvraj Singh-led team boycotted the match, allowing the Pakistanis to qualify for the final by a walkover.