BCCI complains against Rauf, Sahibzada to ICC; PCB lodges protest against Surya

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has filed an official complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against Pakistan cricketers Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan for “provocative gestures” during the two sides’ Asia Cup Super 4 game in Dubai last Sunday (September 21, 2025).

It is reliably learnt that the BCCI filed the complaint against the duo on Wednesday (September 24, 2025), and the ICC received the e-mail.

An ICC hearing is expected to take place in case Sahibzada and Rauf deny these allegations in writing. They might have to appear before the ICC Elite Panel Referee Richie Richardson for a hearing.

In a retaliatory gesture, the Pakistan Cricket Board also seems to have lodged an official complaint with the international cricket body against Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav for expressing his solidarity with victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and dedicating his team's victory to the Indian Armed Forces involved in Operation Sindoor. His comments came after the September 14 game.

PCB alleges that Surya's comments are "political" although technically it needs to be seen when exactly it filed the complaint, which needs to be lodged within seven days of the said comment.

Rauf, Sahibzada gestures

During the September 21 match, Rauf made gestures to depict the bringing down of a plane, mocking India's military action after Indian supporters chanted "Kohli, Kohli," referring to the couple of match-winning sixes that the Indian legend hit off the pacer at the MCG during a T20 World Cup game in 2022.

During the match, he hurled abuses at Indian openers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma during his bowling spell and the two youngsters responded with their bats.

Sahibzada, during the same match, celebrated with a gun-firing gesture, using his bat as a prop, something that has been widely criticised.

"That celebration was just a moment at that time. I do not do a lot of celebrations after scoring 50. But, it suddenly came to my mind that let's do a celebration today. I did that. I don't know how people will take it. I don't care about that," Farhan had told reporters after the match.

Both Rauf and Sahibzada will have to explain their gestures at the ICC hearing, and if their arguments are not convincing, they could face sanctions as per the code of conduct.

Naqvi posts cryptic CR7 video on ‘X’

Adding fuel to the fire, Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday (September 24, 2025) posted a slow-motion video of Cristiano Ronaldo on 'X', where the Portuguese legend is seen gesturing that an aircraft suddenly crashed, something that Rauf indicated on-field during the clash of arch-rivals last Sunday.

Naqvi, apart from also being Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman, is the 'Interior Minister' of his country and is known to make provocative statements against India.

Ronaldo, in the video, could well be explaining how his direct free-kick dipped and entered the goal.

After this, whether the Indian team, which is now the finalist of the Asia Cup, shares the dais with the ACC Chairman is something that remains to be seen.

Shook hands with Pakistan even during Kargil War, says Shashi Tharoor

With India and Pakistan likely to face up in the Asia Cup final on Sunday (September 28, 2025), Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Indian players refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the tournament.

While speaking to ANI, Mr. Tharoor said that while the emotions against Pakistan are understandable, the spirit of the game should be kept separate from politics and military conflicts.

“I personally feel that once the decision had been made to play, if we feel so strongly about Pakistan, we should not have played... But if we are going to play them, we should play in the spirit of a game, and we should have shaken their hands... We have done this before in 1999, when the Kargil War was going on. On the very day the soldiers were dying for our country, we were playing the World Cup in England against Pakistan. We were shaking their hands even then because the spirit of the game is a different spirit from what goes on between countries, between Armies and so on. That is my view,” Mr. Tharoor said.

The senior Congress leader further remarked that the reactions from both sides showed a lack of sportsmanship.

“If the Pakistani team, having been insulted the first time, decided to insult us back the second time, it shows that the spirit of the game is lacking on both sides,” he added.

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