In an embarrassing oversight, the organisers mistakenly played the wrong song in place of Pakistan's national anthem. The confusion was evident on the faces of the Pakistan players, who seemed visibly unsettled. The error was, however, quickly rectified and the correct anthem was played, allowing the match to proceed
Pakistan players singing the national anthem before start of play on Sunday (Pic: Screengrab/X)
A dramatic moment unfolded before the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 Group A match between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, as the pre-match proceedings were marred by a major national anthem mix-up.
In an embarrassing oversight, the organisers mistakenly played the wrong song in place of Pakistan's national anthem. The confusion was evident on the faces of the Pakistan players, who seemed visibly unsettled. The error was, however, quickly rectified and the correct anthem was played, allowing the match to proceed.
DJ played Jalebi Baby song on Pakistan National anthem 🤣#INDvsPAK #BoycottINDvPAK pic.twitter.com/rJBmfvqedI
— 𝗩 𝗔 𝗥 𝗗 𝗛 𝗔 𝗡 (@ImHvardhan21) September 14, 2025
After winning the toss, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha elected to bat first on what looked like a good batting surface. Both teams entered the contest with unchanged playing XIs, setting the stage for a high-voltage clash between the arch-rivals.
However, the start was far from ideal for Pakistan. India, led by stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav, began with aggressive intent. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya delivered early blows, removing Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub in the opening two overs, putting Pakistan under immediate pressure at the top of the order.
Despite the early setbacks, the pair of Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan launched a spirited counter-attack. They stabilized the innings with a flurry of boundaries, managing to rebuild some momentum during the Powerplay phase. Their partnership briefly swung the momentum in Pakistan’s favour, with both batters finding gaps and showing positive intent against the Indian pacers.
Just when it seemed Pakistan were settling into a rhythm, left-arm spinner Axar Patel turned the tide back in India’s favour. Introduced into the attack in the eighth over, Axar struck gold immediately. He first removed the in-form Zaman, who was looking dangerous after scoring 17 off 15 deliveries. In his very next over, Axar returned to dismiss Pakistan’s skipper Salman Ali Agha, who struggled to get going and eventually fell for just 3 runs off 12 balls.
Axar’s twin strikes broke Pakistan’s momentum and left them reeling at 45/3 by the 8th over. India tightened their grip on the contest as Pakistan slipped further, losing a fourth wicket before the halfway mark of the innings.
At the 10-over mark, Pakistan stood at 49/4, with India firmly in control. Axar Patel’s impactful spell, combined with early breakthroughs from Bumrah and Pandya, put the pressure squarely back on the Pakistan middle order.
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