Haris Rauf accepts mistake for shouting 'Yeh tera India nahi hain', calls it heat of the moment reaction

A video of veteran Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf went viral on social media on Tuesday. In it, he is seen having an altercation with a group of Pakistan fans whom he mistook as Indians. Haris later clarified what caused him to lose his temper during that exchange with that group of people in the USA. However, on Wednesday, he accepted his mistake over aggressively shouting, "Ye tera India nahi hai (This is not your India)."

In the 54-second video that went viral, Haris was seen walking with his wife when he bumped into a group of people, who requested for a selfie. The audio was not quite clear from the video on what made the cricket angry, but he was seen rushing towards one of the individuals, despite being stopped by his wife.

Haris later took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reveal that the fans had criticised his family and parents which sparked that reaction from him. “I decided to not bring this on social media, but now that the video is out, 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 are entitled to support or criticize us. Nevertheless, when it comes to my parent and my family, I will not hesitate to respond accordingly. “It is important to show respect towards people and their families, irrespective of their professions."

While the Pakistan cricket fraternity, showing solidarity, came out in support of Haris and criticised the group of fans, the cricketer was not spared by many on social media, who lashed out at him for shouting, "Ye tera India nahi hai (This is not your India)," at the fan. This incident has sparked a wide range of reactions, highlighting the diversity of opinions in the cricket community and among social media users.

Later on Wednesday, Pakistan TV anchor Waseem Badami of ARY News confirmed that he spoke to Haris, who regrated his action. He said: “He shouldn't have made that 'Indian' statement. I did have a word with him and he is convinced that the fan was Pakistani and what he said was in the heat of the moment. I asked him and he said, 'Wasim bhai, he is from Pakistan. What I said was in the heat of the moment and I shouldn't have said that.'”

The video emerged on social media days after Pakistan incurred a group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup. Haris picked up seven wickets in the tournament at an economy of 6.73 and was the joint-highest wicket-taker for his side alongside Mohammad Amir.