Amit Mishra backed Jasprit Bumrah’s ‘plane crashing’ send-off to Haris Rauf in the Asia Cup final, calling it a fitting reply to Rauf’s taunts. India won, refused the trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, and Suryakumar Yadav donated his match fees.
Former leg-spinner Amit Mishra took a subtle dig at Pakistan tearaway Haris Rauf while supporting India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for giving a brutal send-off with a ‘plane crashing down gesture during the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
In the first innings of the final between the two rivals, Bumrah dislodged Rauf’s off-stump with a searing yorker and then pulled out a gesture of a plane crashing, a direct response to what Rauf’s action during the Super Fours clash. On September 21, Rauf was stationed at the boundary rope and responded to the jeers from Indian spectators by lifting his fingers to indicate “0-6”.
‘Haris Rauf was flying too high’
His gesture during the Super Fours contest was a clear reference to Pakistan’s groundless claims that they downed six Indian fighter jets during the four-day clash at the border after India’s Operation Sindoor in May this year. Mishra felt Bumrah’s reaction was the befitting riposte to Rauf.
“He was flying too high. So, he fell down. The match goes on. There is nothing wrong with what Bumrah did. No one said anything. No one did anything. Whatever they did, they got it back,” Mishra said while speaking exclusively to ANI.
In the tumultuous title clash, Pakistan offered stern resistance unlike the previous two encounters, which ended with India cruising to victory with consummate ease. In the nerve-jangling final, India dug deep to gun down the 147-run target set by its arch-rival, courtesy of Tilak Varma’s composed 69* and Shivam Dube’s 33-run cameo.
Men in Blue refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi
Pandemonium ensued after India’s fabled story of success, with captain Suryakumar Yadav and his team ending the night without lifting the title in front of the fans. India, being robbed of the coveted prize, came down to their refusal to accept the coveted silverware from PCB and ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister.
After the unprecedented setback, Suryakumar won hearts in the post-match press conference by donating his match fees from the Asia Cup to “the Armed Forces and the families of the victims who suffered from the Pahalgam terror attack.”
“After that, Suryakumar announced his match fee for the tournament to our Armed Forces. This is a big thing. Nothing can be bigger than this,” Mishra added.
After revelling in an unbeaten campaign and becoming the Asian champions, India will embark on a white-ball tour of Australia, commencing on October 19.
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