Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan opened up about his AK-47 gun celebration after scoring his half-century against India in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four match in Dubai. Farhan stated that it was a spontaneous gesture and added that he wasn’t concerned about the public reaction to the celebration.
The right-handed batter attacked Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in the power play. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav looked unsettled as Pakistan controlled the opening 10 overs. The 29-year-old scored 58 runs off 45 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes, before being dismissed.
Sahibzada Farhan’s “AK-47” Celebration Against India Sparks Controversy
Sahibzada Farhan scored his fourth T20I half-century, but his celebration grabbed the attention. The opener reached the milestone in the 10th over by smashing a six and then used his bat to mimic a gun-firing gesture.
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Sahibzada Farhan hunting Rafale and Indian cricket team. pic.twitter.com/Qdo0RrZYWa
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However, the celebration sparked mixed reactions online. While some fans found it entertaining, others criticized the gesture. Farhan’s innings lost momentum after the landmark, and he was dismissed by Shivam Dube in the 15th over.
The controversial celebration from the Pakistan player has reignited political debates, with some questioning whether India should have refused to face Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
This was the second clash between the archrivals in the ongoing eight-team competition. In the group-stage match, India secured victory by seven wickets with more than four overs left to play.
I Don’t Care – Sahibzada Farhan on Controversial Celebration
Speaking at the press conference on Monday, Sahibzada Farhan was asked about his gun celebration against India. The opener stated that the gesture was spontaneous and added that he won’t care about the public reaction.
“I think, if you talk about the sixes, you will see that (a lot) in the future. And 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 said.
And the rest, you know, you should play aggressive cricket wherever you play. It is not necessary that it is India. You should play aggressive cricket against every team, like we played today,” he added.
We Did Collapse in the Middle But We… – Sahibzada Farhan
Sahibzada Farhan also spoke about Pakistan’s approach ahead of their clash against Sri Lanka. He stated that the team struggles in power plays and added that they need to balance saving wickets with scoring runs in the first six overs.
“I think in the last few matches what was missing was that we were not utilising powerplays well. We were giving early wickets. It is important to use the powerplays well and also not give away wickets,” Farhan continued.
“The way we played in powerplays today, we did not give away early on wickets. God willing, our powerplay was also very good as we scored 90 something runs in 10 overs. We did collapse in the middle but we will rectify it,” he concluded.
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