Haris Rauf instigates Indian fans with '6-0' and 'fighter jet' gestures; gets bashed as 'disgusting, incompetent'

Despite being Pakistan's best bowler in the night, picking up two wickets, including that of India captain Suryakumar Yadav for a duck, he faced the heat not only from India's opening pair of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, who smashed him for 18 runs in 11 balls, but also from the Indian spectators.

The crowd’s persistent ‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants reminded Rauf of the 2022 T20 World Cup, when the former India captain had hammered him for back-to-back sixes in Melbourne, delivering one of the greatest T20 knocks of all time. Unfazed, the tall pacer brushed off the noise and responded provocatively, mimicking a fighter jet and repeatedly showing ‘6-0’—a propaganda gesture tied to the false claim that six Indian Air Force aircraft were shot down during Operation Sindoor in May. He had also been heard chanting ‘6-0’ during Pakistan’s training session at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Saturday.

Abhishek Sharma on verbal exchanges with Rauf

Abhishek and Gill's fiery opening stand of 105 runs laid the solid foundation for India's chase of 172 in Dubai. The two batters were seen in a heated exchange with Rauf. The incident happened on the final ball of the fifth over after Gill hit the bowler for a boundary through mid-wicket when Abhishek and Rauf had a go at each other. Umpire Gazi Sohel was forced to intervene.

Abhishek later opened up on the verbal battle in the post-match interview, after having collected his Player of the Match award. Today was pretty simple, the way they were coming out to us (Pakistani bowlers) without any reason, I did not like it at all. That is why I went after them. I wanted to deliver for the team."

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