“If You Mess With Us, We Won’t Let You Go!” – Pathan & Gavaskar React to India-Pakistan Asia Cup Drama

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Drama: Irfan Pathan Warns Haris Rauf & Sahibzada Farhan, Sunil Gavaskar Slams PCB

The Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan has once again gone beyond cricket, sparking controversies, heated exchanges, and plenty of talking points. Two Indian cricket legends, Irfan Pathan and Sunil Gavaskar, have voiced their views on the growing tension—one taking direct aim at Pakistan’s on-field antics, and the other criticizing their off-field behavior.

Irfan Pathan issues a direct warning to Pakistan players

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan did not hold back while addressing the behavior of Pakistan cricketers during the high-voltage encounter. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he highlighted the banter between Indian openers Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Pakistan bowlers, including Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan.

Pathan said India prefers to respond on the field with performance rather than words. “Indian cricketers are never affected. We never say anything. We quietly play our cricket. But don’t think we won’t respond if you say something. We will answer with our bat,” he stressed.

Pathan particularly pointed out Farhan’s “gun celebration” and Rauf’s aggressive gestures towards Indian players and the crowd. “If you mess with us, we won’t let you go. That has been our rule,” Pathan warned, adding that such antics reflect poorly on the players involved.

Gavaskar slams Pakistan for delaying match start

Meanwhile, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar turned his focus to Pakistan’s behavior off the field, especially their decision to delay the start of the Asia Cup match by nearly an hour. Reports suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had insisted on an apology from match referee Andy Pycroft over the handshake controversy before agreeing to play.

Gavaskar was unimpressed. “There is simply no excuse for delaying the start of the game. If the PCB had issues, they had two full days to resolve them. By turning up late and holding the game to ransom, they set an unsavoury precedent,” Gavaskar wrote in his column.

He also dismissed PCB’s complaint about Indian players not shaking hands, pointing out that there is no such rule. “Many times in sports, players don’t shake hands after matches. It is not mandatory. The ICC rightly ignored this unnecessary protest,” he added.

India’s dominance continues

Despite the off-field controversies and Pakistan’s delaying tactics, India showed complete dominance in the match. Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill set the tone with a blistering opening partnership, while Tilak Varma finished things off in style, thrashing Shaheen Afridi with ease.

For Pakistan, even an improved batting show couldn’t prevent another convincing defeat, leaving their players frustrated and their excuses piling up.

Cricket, rivalry, and politics

The fiery statements from Pathan and Gavaskar underline how India-Pakistan cricket is about more than just runs and wickets. From aggressive celebrations to handshake controversies and delayed starts, the rivalry continues to be influenced by politics, egos, and national pride.

But one thing remains clear—on the field, India are letting their cricket do the talking.