Dubai – India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs in a Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, with Hardik Pandya taking both the first and final wickets to seal the victory. Pandya’s performance marked a turnaround from his earlier dismissal for a golden duck, and his aggressive celebration after dismissing Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan’s opening batter, quickly became a talking point.
Pandya dismissed Farhan in the first over of Pakistan’s innings, with a catch taken by Rinku Singh at mid-on. The dismissal was followed by a demonstrative reaction from Pandya, staring directly at Farhan, a gesture that drew attention online. This followed a history between the two players, stemming from the 2025 Asia Cup.
During the Asia Cup, Farhan had been vocal about hitting sixes off of Jasprit Bumrah, and celebrated a half-century against India with a gesture mimicking firing an AK-47 rifle with his bat. Pandya appeared to respond to that celebration with his own display of dominance on Sunday.
Farhan, who had scored a half-century against India in the Asia Cup final, was unable to replicate that performance in the World Cup match. He was dismissed for zero, caught by Singh off Pandya’s bowling. Footage showed Pandya maintaining eye contact with Farhan as the ball went up in the air, not looking at the ball itself until it was secured by Singh.
India posted a total of 175 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan top-scored with 77 runs off 40 balls. Contributions also came from Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. Pakistan were then bowled out for 114 runs in response. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah both took two wickets each, leading the Indian bowling attack.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had previously warned players about provocative gestures after Farhan’s celebration in the Asia Cup Super Four clash drew criticism. In that match, Farhan had raised his bat like a rifle after reaching his fifty, prompting the warning. In the Asia Cup final, Farhan opted for a more subdued celebration, simply raising his bat and smiling.
Sahibzada Farhan had previously become the first Pakistani batter to hit sixes off Jasprit Bumrah in T20 international cricket, achieving this feat during the Asia Cup group stage match on September 14th. He scored 51 runs off 34 deliveries against Bumrah, including three sixes and six fours.
