Politicians have also weighed in on the controversy over the gestures made by Pakistani cricketers Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan during Sunday's Asia Cup match against India in Dubai. One of the Pakistani players allegedly made reference to the four-day military conflict that took place during Operation Sindoor, and another acted as though he was aiming his bat like a gun, comparing it to a 'AK-47'.
The two Pakistani cricketers' contentious actions also rekindled the political discussion about whether India ought to have boycotted Pakistan during the Asia Cup.
In response to taunts from the crowd, Pakistan's Haris Rauf raised his fingers and signaled "0-6" during the second innings of the match that India won. Social media interpreted this gesture as Islamabad's unverified claims of taking down Indian fighter jets during the May military conflict following Operation Sindoor.
Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century in the first innings by pointing his bat like a gun. This gesture caused spectators to criticize Pakistani spoilsports for excessive theatrics.
Some suggested Sahibzada Farhan used his bat to imitate an AK-47, saying, “This isn’t just a gesture — it reflects a deeper problem.”
Sanjay Raut, the head of the Shiv Sena (UBT), claimed that Sahibzada Farhan had just demonstrated on the field how Pakistani terrorists killed 26 innocent people in Pahalgam—"gunning them down like it was nothing."
During the game, Samajwadi Party member Sharad Saran also responded to Sahibzad Farhan's gesture to support the claim that India shouldn't have faced Pakistan in the Asia Cup. Saran questioned who is to blame for this insult to the country in a post on X.
“People are abusing him [Sahibzada Farhan], saying he did this to repeat and remind others of the Pahalgam attack. He mocked India in the name of the killings that happened in India… If Modi had wanted, would India play cricket with Pakistan,” Sharad Saran's post read.
Sharad Saran's remark was a reaction to Amit Malviya, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who criticized the opposition for celebrating India's victory after protesting that the team should not have played Pakistan following the Pahalgam assault and the war.
“What is amusing is how the same Opposition, which was howling that India must not play Pakistan, sat glued to the match, even cheering Sahibzada Farhan’s theatrics! Almost feels like Shahid Afridi whispered a word to Rahul Gandhi in advance… nothing else explains the Congress ecosystem’s alacrity!” Malviya wrote.
Saurabh Bharadwaj, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), also denounced Haris Rauf's gesture as an insult to the country.
“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?” Bharadwaj wrote on X.
"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?" Saurabh Bharadwaj added.
After the Pahalgam terrorist assault on April 22, in which 26 people were killed by gunmen with ties to Pakistan, India started Operation Sindoor on May 7 to target terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Haris Rauf and India opener Abhishek Sharma also got into a heated argument. On social media, videos of Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf's reactions went viral. "Virat Kohli" chants were used by the Indian supporters to taunt Rauf during the game.
Defending champions India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in their Asia Cup Super Four match on Sunday, their second triumph in the T20 competition, thanks to an opening partnership of 105 runs from Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. With seven balls left, India reached the target of 172, which Pakistan had set when they batted first.
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