Haris Rauf’s '6-0' gesture at Indian fans goes viral, recalling PAF’s six-jet triumph

During the tense Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2025, Pakistan's pacer Haris Rauf made headlines for more than just his bowling, turning heads with a bold boundary-side gesture that set social media ablaze.

While patrolling the boundary during India’s innings, Rauf responded to jeers from some Indian spectators with a hand gesture that immediately drew attention.

Rauf, standing there at the boundary, lifted his fingers to show “6-0” and then, in a sort of dramatic hand move, pretended to fly a plane up and then crash it down.

Of course, anyone watching instantly thought of Pakistan Air Force’s big win back in May, the one where six Indian jets, mostly French Rafales, were reportedly taken down in a historic air battle.

Unsurprisingly, the clip spread like wildfire on social media. Pakistani fans jumped on it, calling it bold, cheeky, even a little bit glorious. Indian fans, on the other hand, were furious, typing out their anger faster than a T20 run rate.

This, yet again, proves something everyone watching knows too well: in the India-Pakistan rivalry, nothing stays small.

Not a boundary, not a gesture, not even a shrug. Everything can explode into headlines in a heartbeat.

Haris' gesture also garnered a response from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif who took to social media saying that India would never forget the PAF's 6-0 victory against the Indian Air Force during the Marka-e-Haq — the title given to the military conflict with India in May where New Delhi launched crossborder attacks inside Pakistan prompting Islamabad to retaliate via "Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.

Handshake controversy lingers on

The Sunday's showdown between India and Pakistan wrapped up with more frost than friendship, as players once again left without the usual post-match handshake.

India successfully chased down a 172-run target to defeat Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya scored the winning runs in the penultimate over. However, neither Indian nor Pakistani players stepped forward to shake hands.

The absence of the traditional handshake at the conclusion of the match has drawn attention, with observers pointing to a lack of sportsmanship and game spirit between the two arch-rivals.

Neither team offered clarification, but the incident underscored the lingering tension surrounding one of cricket's fiercest rivalries.