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'Like an AK-47': Sanjay Raut calls out Pak batter's gesture; blames PM Modi, Jay Shah
The matches between India and Pakistan at the Asia Cup have been surrounded by political tensions and calls of boycott.
Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut has launched a fresh attack against PM Modi, Jay Shah and the BCCI as India takes on Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday.
In a post on X, Raut raised his objection to Pakistani batter Sahibzada Farhan's questionable gesture as he marked 50 runs.
"Sahibzada Farhan just proved on the field how Pakistani terrorists slaughtered 26 innocents in Pahalgam—gunning them down like it was nothing. Reached his fifty and gripped the bat like an AK-47, firing boundaries!" said Raut.
"This spit in the face of BCCI & Modi govt is peak humiliation. For enabling India’s shame, Jay Shah deserves the Bharat Ratna," the UBT leader added further.
The matches between India and Pakistan at the Asia Cup have been surrounded by political tensions and calls of boycott.
The cricket matches in Dubai come months after the April 22 Pahalgam Attack, when a group of terrorists opened fire at tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Baisaran valley, killing 26.
The terrorist attack, the worst to hit J&K since the 2019 Pulwama attack, was followed by a military standoff between India and Pakistan, bringing the neighbouring nations to the edge of a fifth war.
In their second match, India beat Pakistan by six wickets. Chasing 172, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill put on a quick 105-run partnership, and Tilak Varma finished with a flourish to give India a seventh consecutive win over Pakistan across formats.
On September 14, India and Pakistan had their first face-off at the Asia Cup. Despite India's victory, the match made the headlines for the handshake row.
India team Capitan Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, after the toss took place. As per Referee Andy Pycroft, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) venue manager four minutes in advance that India will not be shaking hands with the Pakistani team.
