The recent IND vs PAK clash in the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2025 witnessed hostility, where Pakistan players Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan made provocative gestures which has sparked widespread outrage.
Haris Rauf was spotted mimicking a fighter jet while Farhan did a gun-firing celebration after scoring a fifty. Haris was also involved in a heated exchange with India opener Abhishek Sharma in the middle. In the aftermath of the match, Abhishek also said that he ‘did not like the aggression’ the Pakistan players showed.
When quizzed about the same, pacer Shaheen Afridi said at the pre-match press conference ahead of their Super Four match against Bangladesh tomorrow, Shaheen said,
“There is no specific plan to be aggressive; we have always been aggressive, from the time we started playing. This is how cricket is played and the team morale is kept high.”
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The tensions started after the teams met for the first time in the group stage of the continental tournament. India had denied doing the customary handshake after they won the match in solidarity with the Indian soldiers due to a war between the nations earlier in May.
Pakistan responded by not attending the post-match press conference before asking for the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft for asking both skippers not to shake hands during toss.
The appeal was turned down which made Pakistan turn up late one hour for their group stage match against UAE. The situation further escalated when the teams locked horns again in Super Four with different questionable gestures and heated altercations.
Speaking about both teams, they are both in contention for a spot in the summit clash and have a chance of facing off for the third time in this tournament. India and Pakistan have two points each but the Men in Blue take the top spot with a superior run-rate and one less game played.
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