New Delhi : The high-voltage India vs Pakistan Super Fours clash in the Asia Cup has taken an ugly turn, with political outrage erupting in India over the controversial gestures made by some Pakistani cricketers during the game in Dubai.
During Pakistan's innings, opener Sahibzada Farhan, after completing his half-century, celebrated by holding his bat like a gun, a move that has been widely criticised as being insensitive and provocative.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut lashed out at the ICC chairman Jay Shah, accusing him of enabling the match and mocking him with a sharp statement on X. "Sahibzada Farhan just proved on the field how Pakistani terrorists slaughtered 26 innocents in Pahalgam--gunning them down like it was nothing. Reached his fifty and gripped the bat like an AK-47, firing boundaries! This spit in the face of BCCI & Modi govt is peak humiliation. For enabling India's shame, Jay Shah deserves the Bharat Ratna," Raut said.
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Later, in another tweet, he continued to mock ICC Chief Jay Shah, "Who is responsible for this? Jai Bhai! Jai Bhai! Jai Bhai should be awarded the Bharat Ratna. For stopping the India-Pakistan war, President Trump should get the Nobel Prize and for the insult to India's martyrs, patriots should strongly demand Bharat Ratna for Jai Bhai!"
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Another controversy escalated when Pakistan seamer Haris Rauf was also seen making gestures during India's chase. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj strongly condemned the act, calling it an insult to the nation.
"In the India-Pakistan match, the Pakistani player is making a mockery of India in front of the whole world. He is making gestures of shooting down the Indian jet. Why were Pakistanis given
such a world-class platform? Why didn't we walk out right then? Shame on BJP's central government. By playing 2-2 matches with Pakistan, they have told the entire world that everything is getting better with Pakistan. And their such antics?" Bharadwaj said.
https://x.com/Saurabh_MLAgk/status/1969979190779990037 In the second innings, Rauf, who was stationed near the boundary rope, responded to the jeers from Indian spectators by lifting his fingers to indicate "0-6", a reference to Pakistan's groundless claims that they downed six Indian fighter jets during the four-day clash at the border after Operation Sindoor in May this year.
Rauf's reaction spread like wildfire, and videos of his gesture went viral on social media. The 31-year-old drew flak from numerous Indian fans, who trolled and lampooned him for his action. During the incident, Rauf was teased by the fans with the chants of "Virat Kohli".
Even though the talismanic Indian batter was absent from the fixture, considering he bid adieu to the format last year, Virat's name was used to invoke the memory of the 2022 T20 World Cup fixture between the two nations at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Virat played the famed "emperor's shot" and topped it up by flicking the ball for another maximum to eventually set up India's fabled win over Pakistan.
Apart from his theatrics on the boundary line, Rauf was also involved in a heated exchange with India opener Abhishek Sharma. Pandemonium ensued on the final ball of the fifth over. Gill flawlessly executed a short-arm jab to send the ball racing away for a four. After the end of the over, Abhishek and Rauf got into a fierce exchange, which forced Umpire Gazi Sohel to get involved and separate the two.
According to these leaders, India should not have played against Pakistan at all, accusing the government and cricket authorities of compromising national pride.
Coming to the fixture on Sunday night, Pakistan managed to crawl its way to 171/5, their highest against India while batting first in T20Is. In reply, Abhishek (74) and Shubman Gill (47) raised a 105-run opening stand to pave the way for India's triumph.