Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Finally Breaks Silence on Haris Rauf, Sahibzada Farhan’s On-Field Antics vs India
Pakistan defend Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan after their controversial gestures against India sparked outrage in Asia Cup 2025.
The India-Pakistan rivalry in the Asia Cup 2025 has spilled beyond the field, with controversy overshadowing the cricket.
India have beaten Pakistan twice in the tournament so far, but the focus has shifted to the behaviour of Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan during their Super Four clash in Dubai last Sunday.
Rauf, while responding to Indian fans in the stands, made a provocative fighter jet gesture and repeatedly signalled ‘6-0’, a reference to false claims about India’s air losses in Operation Sindoor.
Farhan, who scored a fifty in the same game, added fuel with a gun-firing celebration directed at spectators. Both acts drew sharp criticism online and from fans present at the venue.
Addressing the matter for the first time, Shaheen Afridi defended his teammates ahead of Pakistan’s final Super Four game against Bangladesh.
“There is no specific plan to be aggressive; we have always been aggressive from the time we started playing. This is how cricket is played and team morale is kept high,” he said.
When asked directly about the gestures, Afridi brushed it aside. “Our job is to play cricket; people can think what they want. We are here to win the Asia Cup. We are trying our best to fulfil Pakistan’s hopes,” he added.
Both teams could still meet again, with the prospect of a first-ever India-Pakistan Asia Cup final looming. India face Bangladesh on Wednesday, while Salman Agha’s Pakistan side will meet them a day later. Victories for both would set up a historic showdown next Sunday in Dubai.
