Irfan-Pathan. (Photo Source: YouTube/Irfan Pathan)
Irfan Pathan feels that Pakistani players – Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf – crossed the line with their on-field gestures during the India versus Pakistan clash in the Super-Four stage of the ongoing Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 21.
Pathan was referring to Farhan’s controversial “gunshot” celebration after he had got himself to a half-century. The gesture garnered severe backlash on social media. This was the first time he celebrated getting to an international half-century with the aforementioned style of celebration. Farhan’s celebration has been viewed as provocative on social media after what happened earlier this year in Pahalgam, where 26 people were shot down by terrorists.
Pathan also mentioned Haris Rauf, who made a “plane falling gesture” at the boundary rope while interacting with fans. This act from the Pakistan pacer has also irked Indian fans. Raud also made a “6-0” gesture towards the fans, referring to Pakistan’s unverified claims that it downed six Indian fighter jets during the military conflict in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
“The kind of acts he was doing on the field with Farhan’s celebration after his fifty. He knows what the two nations are going through, and then he does this on the ground? This does not justify anything. I used to think that Haris Rauf is a decent guy. In Australia when the Melbourne episode happened, he was very different back then. But what he did last night on the boundary lines, it felt that it was not required at all. Their gestures just portray what place these players have come from and what is their upbringing,” Pathan said in a video uploaded on his official YouTube channel.
“They were playing a game of win and loss, but then they took things on a personal level, that is where the limits were crossed. This is not a great thing, and if they think that we, as Indians, should not even talk or react on the issue, then it is a very bad thought,” the former India all-rounder added.
India won the match by six wickets, chasing a 172-run target in 18.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma won the Player of the Match award, scoring a mesmerising 39-ball 74.
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