First on the battlefield, and then on the cricket field, India has outsmarted, and even struck Pakistan where it hurts the most. Months after the military drubbing in Operation Sindoor, where Indian forces dismantled Pakistan’s terror havens and left Pakistani forces crippled, Indian cricketers too have given a fitting reply to their Pakistani counterparts’ unprovoked audacity. They not only defeated Pakistan twice in a span of a week, Indian players also won the sign-language war with their arch rivals.
In a viral video shared on social media, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh made headlines for a fiery on-field gesture during the Super 4 clash against Pakistan on Sunday. Fans interpreted Arshdeep’s action as a response to Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf, who had made a gesture, suggesting Pakistan striking down Indian jets during the four-day mini-war in May.
It seemed Arshdeep’s “reply” nulled the relentless Pakistani taunts, just like India’s Akashteer Air Defence Control and Reporting System killed the drones and missiles shot from across the border.
India countered Pakistan’s disinformation during the mini-war with concrete facts, figures, and evidence.
Rauf’s taunt, aimed at the Indian team and fans earlier in the match, was later countered by Arshdeep’s gesture. The on-field sledging and aggression of Pakistan bowlers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Sahibzada Farhan pointing his bat like an AK-47 gun, were duly answered by the Indian batters.
The action of the Pakistani cricketers revealed how militarisation of the country and the jihadi mindset had seeped seeped into the cricket team.
Though the actions of the Pakistanis were abominable, the Indians replied in their own language, not that of the rivals’.
Pak’s Sledging and Gestures Have Met India’s Savage Retorts
The Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match in Dubai on September 21 turned into a cauldron of rivalry. The India team’s refusal to shake hands triggered the Pakistanis.
The Pakistani players went hard on provocations, which drew sharp retorts, but in Indian style.
Haris Rauf, irked by “Kohli-Kohli” chants from Indian fans, twice mimicked a fighter jet crashing and flashed a “6-0” sign, claiming the alleged Pakistani downing of six Indian jets in the May mini-war.
Pakistan batter Sahibzada Farhan, too, amplified the tension, brandishing his bat like an AK-47, “firing” toward the Indian dugout. The gesture was slammed for Pakistani mujahid mentality and as a glorification for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Farhan later shrugged it off, saying, “Mujhe parwah nahi” (I don’t care), insisting it was “aggressive cricket”.
Pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi joined the verbal barrage, exchanging barbs with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma after being smashed for boundaries.
India, chasing 172, won by six wickets with Abhishek and Gill dominating. Post-match, Arshdeep’s cheeky “aeroplane crash” gesture trolling Rauf, went viral. The clip amassed millions of views as a “savage reply”.
“Arshdeep Singh came late, but brutally trolled Haris Rauf with his actions,” a parody account on X.
India’s battering of Pakistan on the pitch, capped by Arshdeep’s hard-hitting gesture, showed the unflappable edge India showed in the four-day mini-war, where the military too gave its “sign” response to Pakistan. India could have destroyed Pakistan’s military infrastructure, but it just crippled it and presented signs of its capabilities with controlled and precision strikes.
India’s sign-language war and composure trumped Pakistan’s antics.
India’s Op Sindoor Reply to Pak Turned Missiles Into Dud; Debunked Disinformation
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 was India’s tri-service blitz against nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), where it decimated terror hubs of JeM, LeT, and Hizbul Mujahideen avenging the Pahalgam attack that saw terrorists killing 26 civilians. Indian strikes killed more than 100 terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar’s family, in 25 minutes.
Later, when a rattled Pakistan tried to hit India’s civilian and military infrastructure, using missiles and drones, New Delhi’s comprehensive air defence systems, like the S400 and the indigenous Akashteer, shot them all down.
Pakistani retaliatory bombs turned into duds.
Air Force Chief AP Singh confirmed the four-day halt after objectives were met, and avoided an escalation.
Apart from the kinetic attacks, Pakistan’s disinformation campaign was debunked using satellite imagery (Maxar, KAWASPACE) showing the terrorist camp in ruins. Further, the LeT and JeM’s admission of losses exposed the farce, validating India’s evidence-led narrative.
From the battlefield to the cricket field, India showed that its “sign-language” speaks louder than Pakistan’s provocations, be it abuses or missiles. Whether in war or cricket, the archrival must have known by now that India always delivers a fitting reply in its own style. India Today
