- By Himanshu Badola
- Wed, 24 Sep 2025 03:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025: The India vs Pakistan matches in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 might have witnessed one-sided contests when it comes to the battle between bat and ball, but things have gone to the next level when it comes to controversies during both of those games.
India extended their dominance over the arch-rivals Pakistan, defeating them in the Super Fours clash as well by six wickets. During that match, objectionable gestures were made by Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan, which has led to a massive debate on social media.
Ahead of Pakistan's match against Bangladesh, the team's pacer Shaheen Afridi was asked about the gestures from Rauf and Farhan on the field. The senior pacer admitted that on-field celebrations really shouldn't be the focus of the team, as they are out there to play cricket.
"Look, our job is to play cricket. Honestly, everyone has the right to express the way they want to," Shaheen said when asked about the criticism that Haris and Sahibzada have received for their acts against India.
He went on to turn down the debate that Pakistan's on-field behaviour caused an unnecessary controversy, saying, "Everyone has their own thoughts".
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"Everyone has their own respect. Everyone thinks the way they think. But our job is to play cricket. And we have come to win the tri-nation Series. We have come to win the Asia Cup. And we, God willing, as a team, are doing our best," he further said.
Notably, Shaheen himself was involved in a heated exchange with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma during the India vs Pakistan clash. Adding more to the controversy, Haris was seen making 6-0 gestures during his engagement with the Indian fans. Earlier this year, Pakistan came up with baseless claims that they brought down 6 Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, where India targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
On the other hand, Sahibzada Farhan brought out the gun celebration after bringing up his fifty. He held his bat like a gun, firing fictional shots in the air. This was clearly insensitive on the part of the Pakistan opener, considering 26 lives were lost in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, earlier this year.
India have outclassed the Men in Green in both the group A clash and Super 4s fixture as they remained unbeaten in the tournament. They have almost made it to the final, and there is a possibility that the arch-rivals can meet for the third time in the final.