Asia Cup Clash Marred by Controversy: Pakistan Player's 'Gun-Shot' Celebration Ignites Fury in India vs. Pakistan Super 4 Match

Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan sparked controversy during the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four defeat to India on Sunday with a celebration widely perceived as provocative. After smashing a towering six off Axar Patel in the 10th over to bring up his fifty, Farhan turned towards the dugout and mimicked firing a gun. The unusual display immediately went viral, drawing widespread condemnation.

The timing of the gesture was particularly sensitive. Just months earlier, on 22 April, 26 Indian tourists were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, carried out by militants from Pakistan. Against that backdrop, Farhan's mimicry of firing a gun was widely criticised on social media as insensitive and provocative.

IND vs PAK Super 4 Highlights | Scorecard

The incident added to tensions already simmering in the tournament. At the toss, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav had refused to shake hands with his opposite number Salman Ali Agha for the second time, underlining the strained relations between the two sides. In their previous group-stage clash, Indian players had also declined handshakes, with Yadav dedicating that victory to the Pahalgam victims and the armed forces.

Off the field, the match had already attracted political attention. Families of the Pahalgam victims and opposition parties had called for a boycott of cricketing ties with Pakistan, urging India to pull out of the match. Despite this, the Union government cleared the way for the BCCI to play the game, reiterating its stand that India would continue to avoid bilateral ties but allow encounters in multilateral tournaments. The policy aligned with India's broader aim to position itself as a friendly host, following its bids for the Commonwealth Games in 2032 and the Olympic Games in 2036.

Farhan's celebration provided fresh ammunition for critics. Opposition parties in Maharashtra slammed both the BCCI and the BJP. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut launched a scathing attack, linking Farhan's gesture directly to the Pahalgam killings. On X, he wrote:

"Sahibzada Farhan just proved on the field how Pakistani terrorists slaughtered 26 innocents in Pahalgam-gunning them down like it was nothing. Reached his fifty and gripped the bat like an AK-47, firing boundaries! This spit in the face of BCCI & Modi govt is peak humiliation. For enabling India's shame, Jay Shah deserves the Bharat Ratna. #AsiaCup2025 #IndVsPak"