Pakistani Fans Express Outrage on Social Media Following India's Ninth Asia Cup Victory

While Team India celebrated their championship victory, Pakistani fans expressed intense frustration across social media platforms.

Islamabad:

Following India's historic ninth Asia Cup title win over Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Pakistani supporters flooded social media with expressions of disappointment and anger.

India secured the 2025 Asia Cup with a five-wicket victory in Sunday's high-stakes final. As Team India celebrated their triumph despite the absence of a trophy ceremony, Pakistani fans directed harsh criticism toward their national team. Video clips featuring fan reactions on YouTube and various media channels went viral, with many supporters claiming that even amateur players could perform better than their national squad.

One particularly frustrated fan declared, "Even if the whole of Pakistan wants to win against India, we can't... India was our father, and will remain our father (India hamare baap the, baap rahenge)."

He further lamented, "Our generation cannot defeat them. We are not even equal to their shoes. They did the right thing by not shaking hands with us."

Another disappointed supporter stated, "We are left disappointed again and again. This was the third match. We had some hope today, but there is no doubt India's team is very strong."

Pakistani YouTuber Umer Afzaal criticized cricketer Haris Rauf during a live stream for his provocative 'plane' gestures on the field, calling such behavior completely unnecessary.

"I was saying from day one that Haris Rauf has poked the tigers," he remarked, referencing Rauf's 'fighter jet' celebration after dismissing Sanju Samson in a previous match.

Another fan condemned Rauf's provocative behavior, saying, "We are very disappointed with Pakistan's performance. The way Pakistan started batting with Farhan Sahibzada and Fakhar Zaman gave a good opening start to Pakistan, but then our wickets started falling one by one like fighter jets, breaking our hearts in pieces."

One observer noted that the Pakistani team appears intimidated whenever facing India. "They always face pressure when playing against India, and they can't handle the pressure. Compared to that, the Indian team is cool and confident," he commented.

A disheartened fan admitted, "We watch cricket to support our country now. Really don't want to see these (Pakistani) players." Another spectator shouted that the team had played with fans' emotions.

Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria shared on X a picture of a television in a cage, seemingly mocking the tradition in Pakistan where fans often break their TV sets after losing to India in cricket matches.

Tilak Varma led India's tense run chase with an unbeaten 69, while Shivam Dube contributed 33 runs as they surpassed Pakistan's total with just two deliveries remaining. Batting first, Pakistan failed to capitalize on an impressive 84-run opening partnership between Sahibzada Farhan (57) and Fakhar Zaman (46), ultimately collapsing for a total of 146.

With Farhan in excellent form and Zaman playing a supporting role perfectly, there were no early signs of the impending collapse until spinner Varun Chakravarthy (2-30) dismissed Farhan in the tenth over. Kuldeep Yadav then took control, confusing the batsmen while Axar Patel claimed two wickets to accelerate Pakistan's downfall. Jasprit Bumrah also finished with two wickets.

India's innings began shakily as they lost in-form opener Abhishek Sharma, the tournament's leading run-scorer, and captain Suryakumar Yadav within the first ten deliveries. They further stumbled to 20-3 after Shubman Gill's dismissal, but Varma and Sanju Samson (24) steadied the innings with a crucial partnership.

This recovery might not have been possible without the reprieve Samson received when Hussain Talat dropped him in the deep while he was on 12 runs.