The two players in the heat of the moment engaged in an ugly spat, making the episode one of the ugliest fights in the history of the Asia Cup and the IND-PAK rivalry
Be it a series match or the World Cup, when India and PAK play against each other, there’s always a chance of a fight on the field. Therefore, it is no surprise that even in the Asia Cup, Indian and PAK players have engaged in ugly sledging, forms of verbal exchanges, and even fights. Given that the Asia Cup 2025 is underway, let us recall an episode from 2010 when Gautam Gambhir and Kamran Akmal engaged in an ugly spat, making it one of the ugliest fights in the history of the Asia Cup and the IND-PAK rivalry.
Batting first, the batting line-up of PAK posted a decent score of 267 runs on the board. Notable scorers from the line-up were Salman Butt, who scored 74 runs in 85 balls, and Kamran Akmal, who added 51 runs in 41 balls. A few other players contributed between 20 and 40 runs, helping the green team score 267 runs.
(Credit- News18)
In terms of wickets from India’s end, Praveen Kumar grabbed three, whereas Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh ended with two wickets each. Ravindra Jadeja also scalped a single.
India’s opener Gautam Gambhir made a steady stance, adding 83 runs. However, before losing his wicket in 35.4 overs, PAK had missed several chances trying to dismiss Gambhir. During all those close calls, appeals were made in an aggressive manner, especially by Kamran Akmal.
One such incident occurred in the 34th over, but umpire Billy Bowden remained unmoved by the appeal. However, Akmal once again made an aggressive appeal, which did not go well with Gambhir, who asked Akmal to calm down.
During a chat show with Vikram Sathaye, Gambhir had revealed, “He appealed in such a way that he thought that the ball hit the bat. Then I told him that there is no point in appealing because nothing like that happened, we just got into a heated argument, and then it just got from bad to worse.”
(Credit- IPL Bet Online)
Last year, Akmal recalled the incident during an interview with CricBlogs, congratulating Gambhir for his new role as a coach. The former PAK player added, “Me and Gautam are good friends too. I share a good relation with him. He's like my brother. In fact, I'd like to congratulate Gautam on winning his first Test as a coach, so happy for him.”
India went on to win the game, with MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina adding 56 and 34 runs, respectively; two other crucial innings apart from Gambhir’s. The Men in Blue scored 271 runs at the expense of seven wickets in 49.5 overs.
Not only against PAK but India, under Dhoni’s captaincy, won the 2010 edition of the Asia Cup by defeating Sri Lanka in the finals.
