In a fiery Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2025, Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf made headlines off the field as much as on it.
While patrolling the boundary during India’s innings, Rauf responded to jeers from some Indian spectators with a hand gesture that immediately drew attention.
Rauf, standing there at the boundary, lifted his fingers to show “0-6” and then, in a sort of dramatic hand move, pretended to fly a plane up and then crash it down.
Of course, anyone watching instantly thought of Pakistan Air Force’s big win back in May, the one where six Indian jets, mostly French Rafales, were reportedly taken down in a historic air battle.
Unsurprisingly, the clip spread like wildfire on social media. Pakistani fans jumped on it, calling it bold, cheeky, even a little bit glorious. Indian fans, on the other hand, were furious, typing out their anger faster than a T20 run rate.
This, yet again, proves something everyone watching knows too well: in the India-Pakistan rivalry, nothing stays small.
Not a boundary, not a gesture, not even a shrug. Everything can explode into headlines in a heartbeat.
Handshake controversy lingers on
The Sunday’s showdown between India and Pakistan wrapped up with more frost than friendship, as players once again left without the usual post-match handshake.
India successfully chased down a 172-run target to defeat Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya scored the winning runs in the penultimate over. However, neither Indian nor Pakistani players stepped forward to shake hands.
The absence of the traditional handshake at the conclusion of the match has drawn attention, with observers pointing to a lack of sportsmanship and game spirit between the two arch-rivals.
Neither team offered clarification, but the incident underscored the lingering tension surrounding one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries.
