India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate praised his team for maintaining composure against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match on Sunday, despite repeated provocations from the opposition, particularly pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. The match at Dubai International Stadium witnessed controversial gestures from Pakistan players that drew criticism from Indian fans.
Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his fifty with a gun-shaped bat gesture, which was widely seen as insensitive given the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, earlier this year that claimed 26 lives. Haris Rauf also made provocative signals towards the crowd, referencing the 6-0 claims by Pakistan earlier this year during Operation Sindoor, in which they alleged shooting down six Indian fighter jets.
In addition, both Shaheen and Haris engaged in verbal exchanges with Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, but India remained unfazed, comfortably chasing 172 to win by six wickets.
“Let me just say, the amount of pressure that’s been heaped on the players because of the situation, it’s very difficult to control their behaviour. I did see some of the things Haris did, and, you know, that’s not our concern. Like I said earlier, we’re really proud of how the guys carried themselves, you know, they were on fire with their bats on the field. You know, how the teams showed their ambitions,” ten Doeschate told reporters on Tuesday.
“India Remains Composed Amid Pakistan Sledging, Openers Shine”: Ten Doeschate
The Indian support staff member added that it was clear what the Pakistan pacers were attempting with their constant sledging. He also expressed pride in openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill for responding effectively with their batting.
“I’ll say, given the situation, you can see why guys are behaving and what they’re trying to portray. But we were very focused on how we wanted to play. I think we stuck to the cricket really well. It would have been easy to lose our minds at that point, given the celebration as well,” said ten Doeschate.
“Some of the words during the game from the Pakistan bowling unit, but I thought the guys stuck really well to the task of getting the job done and winning the game,” he added.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.