Not just the verbal volleys, the game also saw some distasteful antics from Rauf and Farhan. While batting, Farhan pulled out a gun celebration after bringing up his fifty. He turned his bat into a gun, firing fictional shots in the air.

This act of Farhan was deemed provocative as several Indian fans called it “insensitive”, looking at what happened in Pahalgam earlier this year, where 26 innocent lives were lost in a terrorist attack.

On the other hand, Haris Rauf repeatedly made signals of 6-0 in front of the Indian crowd when the latter burst out into loud Virat Kohli chants to get under his skin. For the uninitiated, during India’s Operation Sindoor, Pakistan claimed that they shot down six Indian fighter jets, and hence, 6-0 refers to that.

Not only this, but Rauf also signalled that Indian jets were brought down during Operation Sindoor, and this act has not gone down well with Indian fans and pundits. And now, Deep Dasgupta has given his opinion, saying the rivalry on the pitch is no longer there, as it is a battle between men and children.

“If you speak about Sahibzada Farhan’s celebration, it was insensitive. How insensitive can you be? You played well, you scored 50, but how insensitive. People have lost their lives, and families have lost their near and dear ones. How can you do that? How can you celebrate like that?” said Dasgupta on his YouTube channel.

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“This is childishness. We always say that at this level, it is not about the skill, it is about the maturity and what’s in your head. In these aspects, the thought process and the mentality, the rivalry is not there, and if the situation persists, it won’t be there,” he added.

‘Focus on your job’

The former Indian batter also advised Rauf to focus on his job and ensure that his team wins rather than indulge in activities unrelated to cricket.

During the game against India, Haris Rauf was also involved in a verbal duel with Abhishek and Gill. The visuals showed the Pakistan pacer needlessly sledging the Indian opening batters; however, he was given a befitting reply.

“Haris Rauf taking on the crowd. Just focus on your job. On the field, focus on yourself and delivery. Your focus is somewhere else. For having fun for 15-20 minutes, you are ready to lose your focus and worry about everything that you don’t need to be concerned about,” said Dasgupta.

During the post-match press conference, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that it is high time the media stops hyping the rivalry between the two teams as the contest has really become lopsided in favour of India.

“I completely agree with what Suryakumar Yadav said in the press conference. There is no rivalry, and there cannot be any rivalry between men and children. If you see the reactions from both teams, then you would understand what I am talking about,” said Dasgupta.

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