Saim Ayub mimed rocking a baby after dismissing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the Asian Games men’s cricket final on 3 October. Before the over ended, Abhishek Sharma had hit him for six, six and four.
India beat Pakistan by 19 runs at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin to keep their gold medal. It was the first men’s cricket meeting between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games.
Sooryavanshi started fast. He hit Saad Masood for two sixes in a 24-run second over and had 15 off nine balls when Ayub came on for the third.
On the first ball, he tried a reverse sweep. The ball bounced, took his glove, and wicketkeeper Usman Khan held it after a fumble.
Ayub then joined his hands and rocked them side to side, the mime of cradling a baby, towards the departing teenager. It mocked his age, not his cricket. The mime echoed “Boss Baby”, the nickname commentators gave Sooryavanshi during IPL 2025, before his India debut.
“An interesting celebration as well.”
TV commentator, live broadcast of the final, 3 October 2026
Just look at the celebration of Saim Ayub after dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 🤨#INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/q8j9XgHND1
— Ajay Jadeja (@AjayJadeja171) October 3, 2026
The cameras followed the batter walking off. The man Ayub should have been watching was the one still standing at the non-striker’s end.
Abhishek had seen it all from there. Before the over was out, he hit Ayub for six over wide long-on, then another six, then a four.
Saim Ayub was calling vaibhav Suryavanshi a kid after getting him out, but Abhishek Sharma completely humbled him. 😂😂#INDvsPAK #PakvsInd pic.twitter.com/wfL2RcduQy
— Sandeep Pathak (@Im_SPathak) October 3, 2026
Insider Read
A send-off is aimed at the man leaving, but the man staying hears it loudest. When your opening partner is mocked, and that partner is a kid, nobody needs to give you a team talk. The next five balls become personal, and an opener in that mood stops worrying about risk.
The bowler is in the opposite state. A wicket and a big celebration empty the tank, and the next ball rarely comes out with the same focus. Ayub spent his emotion on a batter who was already gone and left himself bowling to the angriest man on the field. That is why experienced bowlers celebrate with the team and walk straight back to their mark.
How the Final Answered Ayub
Two overs later, Ayub’s night got worse. In the fifth over, he dropped both Abhishek and captain Shreyas Iyer.
Abhishek reached fifty in 20 balls. Tilak Varma finished the job late, and India’s total proved too much even for Hasan Nawaz’s 96.
| Sooryavanshi | 15 (9 balls) |
| Abhishek Sharma | 61 (28 balls), 7 sixes |
| Tilak Varma | 51* (22 balls) |
| Ayub with the ball | 4 overs, 47 runs |
| Ayub with the bat | 29 (22 balls) |
| India | 211/6 |
| Pakistan | 192/6 |
| Result | India won by 19 runs |
Sooryavanshi finished the day as India’s youngest Asian Games gold medallist, at 15 years, six months and six days. He broke shooter Saurabh Chaudhary’s record from 2018.
The gesture broke no rule. But mocking a 15-year-old’s age in a gold medal match was poor in spirit, and the bat gave the best answer.
India against Pakistan has seen gestures before. Abhishek’s “L” sign after his 74 in the 2025 Asia Cup Super Four raised questions, and he explained who it was for.
“It is love. This is for those who support the Indian team. This is for India.”
Abhishek Sharma, on his “L” celebration, Asia Cup 2025
His gesture was aimed at fans. Ayub’s was aimed at one player, and that player was 15.
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