A video of veteran Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf went viral on social media on Tuesday. In it, he is seen arguing with a group of Pakistani fans whom he mistook for Indians. Haris later clarified why he lost his temper during the argument with that group of people in the US. However, on Wednesday, he admitted his mistake of aggressively shouting, “Yeh tera Bharat nahi hai.”
In the 54-second video that went viral, Haris was seen walking with his wife when they bumped into a group of people who requested a selfie. It was not clear from the video what angered the cricketer, but he was seen running towards one of the men despite being stopped by his wife.
Haris later revealed on Twitter, also known as X, that fans had criticised his family and parents, which led to his reaction. “I decided not to bring this up on social media, but now that the video has surfaced, I feel it is necessary to address the situation,” he wrote. “As public figures, we are open to receiving all kinds of feedback from the public. They have the right to support or criticise us. Nevertheless, when it comes to my parents and my family, I will not hesitate to respond accordingly. “It is important to show respect to people and their families, regardless of their profession.”
The Pakistan cricket fraternity came out in solidarity and supported Harris and criticised the group of fans, but many on social media did not spare the cricketer who yelled at the fan, saying, “Yeh tera India nahi hai.” The incident has evoked a variety of reactions, highlighting the diversity of views among the cricket community and social media users.
Later on Wednesday, Pakistani TV anchor Wasim Badami of ARY News confirmed that he had spoken to Harris, who regretted his actions. He said: “He shouldn't have made the 'Indian' statement. I spoke to him and he is sure the fan was Pakistani and whatever he said was in the spur of the moment. I asked him and he said, 'Wasim bhai, he is from Pakistan. Whatever I said was in the spur of the moment and I shouldn't have said that.'”
The video surfaced on social media days after Pakistan's group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup. Haris took seven wickets in the tournament at an economy of 6.73 and was the joint-highest wicket-taker for his team along with Mohammad Amir.