Sahibzada Farhan defends gun-fire celebration after Pakistan's loss to India
What's the story
Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has defended his controversial 'gun-fire' celebration during the Super 4 clash against India in the 2025 T20 Asia Cup. The gesture, which involved him holding his bat like an assault rifle and mimicking a gun firing action, was widely criticized on social media. However, Farhan has clarified that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and not directed at any specific opponent.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The two countries have been at loggerheads since the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack in April. While India responded by launching Operation Sindoor, Pakistan retaliated with drone attacks. However, the Asia Cup schedule placed India and Pakistan in the same group, a move that met with severe criticism. As expected, the first India-Pakistan clash of this year's tournament endured boycott calls. The attention shifted to several off-field controversies thereafter. Sahibzada Farhan's celebration has now been added to the growing list.
Remarks
'Don't care,' Farhan on his celebration
After the match, Farhan addressed the backlash in a press conference. He said, "That (celebration) was just a moment at that time. I don't do a lot of celebrations after scoring 50. But, it suddenly came to my mind that let's have a celebration today." He added he doesn't care about how people would perceive his actions and emphasized playing aggressive cricket against every team.
Match highlights
Only 50 for Pakistan in the match
In the match against India, Farhan scored a crucial 58 off 45 balls, helping Pakistan post a total of 171/5 in their allotted 20 overs. His half-century was the only one for his team in this game. However, it was his controversial celebration after reaching the milestone that drew widespread attention and criticism from fans across social media platforms. India eventually chased down the target in 18.5 overs.
Plans
Farhan on Pakistan's performance and areas of improvement
Losing to India, Pakistan need to beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to have a shot at reaching the final. Farhan stressed the importance of utilizing the Powerplay effectively and not giving away early wickets. "The way we played in powerplays today, we did not give away early on wickets," he said, adding that they would work on their middle-order collapse for future matches.