 "Pakistani players continued to provoke, but good thing our boys remained calm, otherwise…! The Indian coach told the inside story – News-Patiala Punjabi")
Dubai: Abhishek Sharma’s brilliant knock of 74 off 39 balls led India to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 last Sunday. During the match, Pakistani opener Sahibzada Farhan made a gesture of “firing a gun” with his bat, while pacer Haris Rauf made a gesture of “crashing a plane”.
Rauf was also seen arguing with the opening duo of Abhishek and Shubman Gill while bowling. Ahead of the second Super Four match against Bangladesh in the tournament, Indian team assistant coach Ryan ten Doishet has praised his players.
Ryan ten Douchet said that despite the misbehavior of the Pakistani players in that match, the Indian players maintained their composure. Asked about the tense moments during the match against Pakistan, Doishet praised the maturity of Gill, Abhishek and Tilak Verma. He said that these young players did not get caught up in Pakistan’s moves and finished the match with poise.
About Farhan’s celebration, Doishet said, “They had a great start. I don’t think they got carried away. I would say that given the situation, you can understand why the players behaved the way they did and what they wanted to show. It was easy for us to lose our composure at that point because of the actions of the Pakistani bowlers and some of the words used during the match. I think the players were completely focused on the match.”
India’s assistant coach said, “I saw parts of Haris Rauf’s behaviour, but it is not a cause for concern. We are very proud of how our players handled themselves. Our players responded on the field with their bats. I think other teams also have issues with some of the things we did, but for us, we are happy with the way our players have performed in this tournament.”