Irfan Pathan Slams Rauf, Farhan for "Immature" Antics; Claims Worse Behavior Hidden Behind Scenes

Provocative gestures from Pakistan players Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan in their match against India have not gone down well with Irfan Pathan. Playing in the Super 4 clash on Sunday, September 21, Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf taunted the Indian fans. Farhan first opted to do a gun celebration after hitting a hundred, and later in the game, Rauf mimicked fighter jets going down while fielding at the boundary line.

Farhan and Rauf's gestures angered Irfan Pathan, who slammed the duo for their immature acts. Speaking on his YouTube channel on Monday evening, Irfan said that he was not surprised by the gestures at all and stated that these were just the tip of the iceberg.

"I want to talk about the celebrations a little bit. Sahibzada Farhan, you know the tensions between the two sides. Haris Rauf for that matter, I thought that he was a decent bloke. I met him in Australia a few years back. The gestures he made in the field yesterday, they were needless. It tells about both of their nature, and what upbringing they come from," Irfan Pathan said.

"Play cricket in the field. To stoop down to a personal level is quite bad. And then you expect us to not talk about it, that is wrong. But I am not surprised at all. They are capable of doing these things. What you got to see on TV, that was bad itself, but the things that go on behind the scenes, the fans would be shocked if they get to know about it," he added in his video.

IND vs PAK Super 4 Highlights | Scorecard

On Sunday, the Pakistan pacers tried to unsettle the Indian opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill by hurling some expletives towards the young batters. Pakistan's move backfired when both Shubman and Abhishek upped the ante and raced to a 100-run partnership in just 8.4 overs.

Irfan said that Pakistan have a habit of starting fights on the field and then complain about the attitude of the opposition side when they give it back. He also took a dig at Shahid Afridi, after the former Pakistan cricketer had called him a liar in one of his interviews.

"As Indians, unless you bother us, we will go on about cricket. We are never the ones to initiate aggression. But it is perhaps wrong to expect that we will not reply back to the things that you start. Not only will we reply with bat, we will reply with words as well. This is something that some former players are unable to digest," Irfan Pathan said.

"You know the people who say that say things in front of me. I have dismissed them 10–11 times in international cricket. They were not able to handle me in the field, they will not be able to face me outside the field as well. But I liked what Ashwin said in his YouTube channel, the mudslinging bit. I am telling you, whenever I meet them next, they will not be able to stand in front of me," he concluded.

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This was Pakistan's second loss to India in a space of 8 days. In both matches, Pakistan failed to control the free-scoring nature of the Indian team. With the win, India started their Super 4 campaign in style. Pakistan, on the other hand, will need to brush off the loss and get ready for their match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, September 22.