Pakistan's national anthem goof up shocks fans during IND vs PAK – Watch

NEW DELHI: The high-voltage Asia Cup 2025 encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai began under the pretext of a viral blunder after a mix-up during the national anthems.

Just before the toss, organisers mistakenly played a different song instead of Pakistan’s national anthem. The error left Pakistan’s players visibly confused on the field before the correct anthem was played moments later. The incident has already sparked criticism, given the high-profile nature of the fixture and the charged political context around the match.

As per videos on social media, the song that was initially played appears to be the intro of "Jalebi Baby" by Jason Derulo.



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After the blunder, which went viral immediately, it was business as usual on the ground. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha had won the toss and elected to bat first on what looked like a dry pitch. Both sides went in with unchanged lineups, having registered dominant wins in their opening group matches.

Pakistan had thrashed Oman by 93 runs after bowling them out for 67, while India dismissed UAE for 57 and chased down the target in just 4.3 overs.

Similar to the early confusion for the Pakistan anthem, the game got underway dramatically. Hardik Pandya created history by striking with his very first legitimate delivery, dismissing Saim Ayub for a duck. The opener pushed at a ball going away and picked out Jasprit Bumrah at point.

With that, Pandya became only the second Indian bowler to claim a wicket with his first legitimate ball in T20Is. Arshdeep Singh, who achieved the milestone against the USA in New York in 2024, remains the only other Indian on the list. Unlike Pandya, however, Arshdeep has not featured in this Asia Cup so far.

Watch the viral blunder here

India built early momentum through Pandya’s breakthrough, while Axar Patel and Bumrah also struck in their first overs to tighten the pressure further on Pakistan’s top order.

But before the cricket had even started, the anthem blunder ensured the contest was already making headlines for reasons beyond the cricket played between the two teams.

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