NEW DELHI: Provocative gestures from Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan during their Super Four clash against India in Dubai on Sunday, have sparked controversy and drawn a strong response from former India all-rounder
Irfan Pathan.
While Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century with a gun gesture, Haris Rauf mimicked fighter jets crashing while fielding near the boundary. Both gestures appeared directed at Indian fans, and they did not sit well with Pathan, who termed them “immature” and “expected.”
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India, meanwhile, continued their dominance in Asia Cup 2025, defeating Pakistan by six wickets — their second victory over their arch-rivals in the tournament after also winning the group-stage encounter. The opening partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill once again demolished Pakistan’s bowling, ensuring India’s chase of 172 was completed with ease and seven balls to spare.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Monday evening, Pathan expressed disappointment at the antics of Rauf and Farhan, while also praising India’s professionalism and discipline.
“Yesterday’s India-Pakistan match — India played some brilliant cricket. It was a commanding victory. There’s no need to even say it anymore — India just keeps winning, India keeps moving forward, that’s India’s greatness,” Pathan said.
He pointed out that the banter on the field crossed a line, even referencing Abhishek’s post-match comments.
“Yesterday, there was a lot of aggression, a lot of banter. Even Abhishek Sharma, during the post-match presentation, said that the Pakistani players were saying things they shouldn’t have. That’s why, when he and others like Shubman Gill posted on social media, the message was clear: ‘You keep talking, we’ll keep winning.’”
Pathan emphasised that Indian cricket has traditionally preferred silence and focus over needless chatter but stressed that provocation would not be ignored anymore.
“We Indians, even the former players, don’t get disturbed. We have always quietly played our cricket — in the past, today, and we will continue in the future. But don’t expect that if you start something, whether you are an Australian, Pakistani, or anyone else, that we will stay silent. We will respond — with our bat, and with our words,” he said.
Pathan added that former cricketers from Pakistan often try to cash in on the India-Pakistan rivalry by dragging Indian players’ names into debates. “Some former players don’t like this. They make shows in the media using my name, they earn from it. I’m not taunting, I’m happy — if your livelihood runs because of my name, keep going.”
The former India pacer dismissed suggestions that he should confront Pakistan players directly (slammed
Shahid Afridi).
“And those who say ‘say it to our face’ — I’ve dismissed such players 10 times, 20 times, I’ll dismiss them again. If they can’t survive on the field, how will they survive off the field? Ashwin made a very good point on his YouTube channel about this, and he’s right. Aamna-saamna hoga zaroor aur woh banda tik nahi paayega [But whenever the chance comes, there will be face-to-face, and they won’t last]”
On Farhan’s celebration, Pathan was particularly critical. “Everyone knows what’s going on between the two countries, and doing such celebrations on the field doesn’t say much. I used to think he was okay, but when you take things to a personal level, it’s too much. On the field, you play cricket. Win or lose, that’s part of the game. But when you cross the line, that’s wrong.”
Pathan made it clear he wasn’t shocked. “Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. This is the kind of behavior they are capable of. Fans only see what the TV shows, but what doesn’t get shown — people don’t even know. If they don’t do such things, we don’t react either. We just want to play cricket, to win. Our skill level is way ahead of others, especially our neighbors. When you’re that skilled, you don’t even need banter — they need it.”
He concluded with a sharp remark on the larger picture. “I believe that the day Indian cricket takes a break, their cricket and their media can’t even breathe. They don’t get views, their livelihood stops. But for Indian cricket, it doesn’t matter. If you misbehave, and expect us to stay silent — this is the new India, we don’t let it go.”
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