Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan danced with Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and his other teammates after their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 win over Pakistan in Chennai. Participating in a live show for host broadcaster Star Sports Network, Pathan left his duty to shake a leg just as Khan passed by him. Even after the subsequent Afghanistan’s win against Sri Lanka in Pune, Pathan was spotted cutting a rug with legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh in the studio.
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While Pathan’s viral videos received immense love from fans around the world, it wasn’t accepted gleefully by irked Pakistani fans. Hence, once India lost the final against Australia in Ahmedabad, it was their chance to dance and celebrate under retribution.
Part of Amar Ujala Samvad during his Legends League Cricket 2023 stint in Jammu last month, Pathan observed a key difference in between his celebration and that of Pakistani fans. He highlighted the contrasting mentalities of two neighboring countries some of whose citizens seldom let go of an opportunity to demean each other. Pathan clarified that his celebrations had nothing to do with Pakistan’s defeat.
“Hum mein aur pados mein na, zameen-aasmaan ka fark hai maansikta mein. Humne dance kiya Afghanistan ki jeet pe, unhone dance kiya hamari haar pe [There’s a huge difference between India and Pakistan’s mentality. We danced on Afghanistan’s win, they danced on our defeat],” Pathan said to receive a huge round of applause from the audience.
Most recently, a similar incident was witnessed on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after a Pakistani fan mocked the Indian cricket team by posting their struggles in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 Test match. As a result, he was rightly schooled by legendary broadcaster Harsha Bhogle, who put him in his place without using any hurtful words.
Kamran Akmal Was ‘Sad’ To See Irfan Pathan Dancing With Rashid Khan
Not just the fans but former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal was also against Pathan’s celebrations. Akmal, 26 out of whose 44 international matches across formats against India had come with Pathan present in the opposition’s Playing XI, expressed disapproval of him celebrating a team’s victory whilst working as a commentator in the tournament.
If truth be told, even Akmal had a valid point. As a commentator, one expected Irfan Pathan to behave neutrally for all the teams. For those unversed, the rivalry between Pakistan and Afghanistan is quite heated, too.
“I was surprised at Irfan Pathan’s dance. I remember India beating Pakistan in Australia; even then this kind of happiness wasn’t seen. But there seems to be greater joy in Afghanistan defeating Pakistan. It was sad to see – not just for me but for nation. The broadcasters should think about that this – neutral commentators shouldn’t do this,” Akmal had told ARY News as quoted by The Indian Express.
Outside of a professional capacity, Pathan had all the right to congratulate or even dance in order to to celebrate Afghanistan’s success. Dancing on live television, however, gave Pakistani fans an excuse to justify them replicating him on November 19 to celebrate an Australian victory.
Keenly impressed with Afghan cricketers’ heroics lately, Pathan also predicted all-rounder Azamatullah Omarzai to become the ninth IPL player from his country.
IPL 2024 auction is just around the corner and Omarzai’s base price of INR 50 lakh could earn him a maiden contract in the biggest T20 league across the globe. Considering his performances in the recently concluded World Cup, he should be on the radar of several teams. The 23-year old player might also bag an opulent sum of money as a mini auction tends to reward fast-bowling all-rounders prosperously.
Rajasthan Royals could express interest in him after having released former West Indies captain Jason Holder. Similarly, even Chennai Super Kings would be eyeing him as England Test captain Ben Stokes‘ replacement. Omarzai’s cutters are highly likely of suiting Chepauk’s pitches as well.
