Irfan Pathan believes that Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf, two Pakistani players, went too far with their on-field gestures during Sunday, September 21’s India vs. Pakistan match in the Super-Four stage of the 2017 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Pathan was alluding to the contentious “gunshot” celebration that Farhan had after reaching a half-century. On social media, the gesture drew harsh criticism. For the first time, he used the previously described celebration technique to mark reaching an international half-century. Following the events in Pahalgam earlier this year, where 26 people were shot down by terrorists, Farhan’s celebration has been perceived on social media as offensive.
Pathan also brought up Haris Rauf, who, while speaking to fans, made a “plane falling gesture” at the boundary rope.
Indian fans are equally annoyed by the Pakistani pacer’s behaviour. In addition, Raud gestured “6-0” to the supporters, alluding to Pakistan’s unsubstantiated claims that it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the post-Operation Sindoor military confrontation.
He was performing certain things on the pitch, such as celebrating Farhan’s fiftieth birthday. Does he do this on the ground knowing what the two countries are going through? Nothing is justified by this. I once believed Haris Rauf to be a good man. He was a completely different person in Australia at the time of the Melbourne incident. However, his actions on the boundary lines last night seemed completely unnecessary. “These players’ gestures simply show where they’re from and how they were raised,” Pathan stated in a video posted to his official YouTube page.
“The boundaries were crossed when they started taking things personally while still playing a game of win and lose. This is not a good thing, and it is a very horrible idea if they believe that we Indians shouldn’t even discuss or respond to the matter,” the former all-rounder continued.
India chased a goal of 172 runs in 18.5 overs and won by six wickets. Abhishek Sharma scored an incredible 74 from 39 balls to win Player of the Match.
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