Indian Hockey VC Hardik Singh Trolls Pakistan With Haris Rauf’s Fighter Jet Gesture

News18

Hardik Singh, the vice-captain of the Indian men’s hockey team, jumped on the Pakistan trolling bandwagon on Friday. While explaining why, just like cricket, there was ‘no competition’ between the Indian and Pakistani hockey sides, he made the plane crashing gesture, saying that the Men in Green’s graph was at the bottom.

Pakistan cricket fast-bowler Haris Rauf made that gesture during a match in the 2025 Asia Cup against India. It was seen as his way to taunt the Indian fans in the crowd in Dubai about Pakistan’s baseless claims that they downed Indian fighter jets during the border scuffle between the two countries in May.

“Yes, there’s no doubt that the competition no longer exists. The graph is not going down, it’s just staying down,” Hardik told India Todaywaving his hands from up to down, just like Rauf.

“I think their athletes are quite good, but they are not getting facilities. Like in 2014, they had won against us the last time. Since 2014, Pakistan has not won against India in hockey. So I think that in the last what, like twelve years? Yes, we didn’t lose a match,” Hardik added.

Asked if he ever regrets becoming a Hockey player instead of a cricketer, considering the humongous pay gap between the two sports, Hardik rejected.

“I think that what hockey has given us, no other game can give that. Because when in 2021 our Olympic medal came, I mean the wave that went across the whole country, that hockey medal came after forty years, and then back-to-back medals came. No other feeling can be like that,” Hardik said.p

India-Pakistan diplomatic relations have nosedived since the Pahalgam terror attack. The Indian government has allowed matches between the nations in multi-nation tournaments but maintained its position on banning all bilateral contact.

Still, Pakistan refused to send its hockey team to the Asia Cup in India a few weeks ago, citing security concerns, although India was willing to issue visas to its contingent.