NEW DELHI: Pakistani players' use of politically motivated gestures during the Asia Cup Super 4 match sparked widespread criticism, which didn't even sit well with their former player Danish Kaneria.
Sahibzada Farhan, who top-scored with 58 for Pakistan, celebrated his half-century by pointing his bat like a gun. Pacer Haris Rauf triggered controversy by gesturing '6-0' to Indian fans near the boundary ropes.
The '6-0' signal was a reference to the Pakistani government's politically charged claims of downing six Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. The pacer did not stop there; he went on to mimic the motion of a crashing plane.
Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill took Pakistani bowlers to the cleaners in their 172-run chase, posting 105 on the board in just 9.5 overs. Abhishek blasted his way to 39-ball 74 while Gill chipped in with 47 off 28 balls.
Watch: On India vs Pakistan Super Four Match 2 of the Asia Cup, Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria says, "Sahibzada Farhan signaled an AK-47, but Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma responded with a BrahMos of their own, letting their bats do the talking. They let their… pic.twitter.com/AivfIJFOnd
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"Sahibzada Farhan signalled an AK-47, but then Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma launched a BrahMos of their own with the bat - and Sharma even followed it with a flying kiss. That's how you do it. The Indian openers' counterattack was so destructive that Pakistan players were left bamboozled. There's 'dhulai' and then there's 'maha dhulai'. This was the latter," Kaneria told news agency IANS.
"When you have players like Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, even 200 can look like a small total against them on such a wicket. Both are class players," he added.
Kaneria also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal. After a strong start with two boundaries off Bumrah, Zaman was caught behind by Sanju Samson off Hardik Pandya in the third over.
"Now Pakistan will look for another scapegoat, and they've found one in Fakhar Zaman's dismissal. He'll cry now, saying he wasn't out. But it was a clear and clean catch by Sanju Samson - the gloves were clearly underneath the ball. And yet Pakistan will surely cry over it, talking about 'benefit of doubt'. Fakhar will cling to this excuse," said Kaneria.
India's next match is against Bangladesh on Wednesday, while Pakistan face Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
