IND vs PAK | Pakistan Players’ 6-0 Gesture and ‘Gun’ Celebration Spark Controversy

Sports News: India defeated Pakistan for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, this time in the Super 4 stage on Sunday. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, India restricted Pakistan to 171 for five in 20 overs. Opener Farhan scored 58 off 45 balls, celebrating his fifty with a ‘gun’ gesture after hitting a six off Axar Patel. Shivam Dube took two wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav claimed one each.

India’s Strong Start and On-Field Clash

Chasing 172 runs, India began very aggressively. Abhishek Sharma’s attacking shots, including a six and a four, took the team to 69 runs without loss by the end of the powerplay – the highest powerplay score in this Asia Cup so far. During the game, a heated exchange broke out between Abhishek Sharma and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf. Shubman Gill stepped in to calm things down. Shubman scored 47 runs while Abhishek hit 74 runs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav went back without scoring, but Tilak Verma played a steady innings to guide India closer to the win.

India Win, but No Handshake After Match

With seven balls left, Tilak Verma sealed India’s win by hitting a four. After the match, Tilak and Hardik Pandya walked back without shaking hands with the Pakistani players. Having beaten Pakistan already in the league stage, India took control again in the Super 4 round. Fans across the country celebrated India’s successive victories over Pakistan by bursting crackers.

Controversial ‘AK-47’ and '6-0' gesture by Pakistani Players

During the match, Haris Rauf made a “6-0” hand gesture towards Indian fans while fielding near the boundary. Social media users claimed it referred to Pakistan’s controversial gesture of shooting down six Indian fighter jets during “Operation Sindoor.” A clip that went viral also appeared to show him mimicking flying and shooting down a plane. Earlier, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan attacked Indian spinners in the powerplay, hitting five fours and three sixes to take his team to 91 runs in the first 10 overs. His gun-style celebration after a six off Axar Patel drew criticism from Indian fans on social media, with some calling it “shameful." The Pahalgam terror attack happened on 22 April, in which 26 innocent Indian tourists were killed. The terrorist strike was carried out by Pakistani terrorists. Farhan's AK-47 style celebration was slammed on social media as 'shameful'."