‘Tell your batters to have courage’: Waqar Zaka recalls boundary line exchange with Kuldeep Yadav

Pakistani TV host, singer and actor Waqar Zaka has quoted Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav as trolling him as well as Pakistani batters and other fans, recalling what happened when they asked the Indian cricketing star to take it easy on Greenshirts during the one-sided Feb 23 clash.

Champions Trophy’s Pakistan vs India on Sunday barely lived up to its hype, with India asserting dominance throughout the game and winning the match by six wickets. Despite a strong start by Pakistan, Yadav’s spin magic played a crucial role in restricting them to just 241 runs, paving the way for an Indian victory.

Amid widespread criticism against defending champions Pakistan’s lackluster performance and consequent exit from the tournament, a viral video has shown Zaka and actor Aijaz Aslam, both of whom were present in the crowd at Dubai International Stadium, recalling what happened when Yadav came to field close to the boundary line.

In the video, Zaka said he expressed frustration over Pakistan’s slow scoring rate and jokingly urged Yadav to let Greenshirts score some runs.

“Kuldeep Yadav was standing at the boundary line. While standing there, we told him to let our players score some runs. I swear to God, he replied, ‘Tell your players to have a big heart and [at least] start playing’,” he recalled.

Zaka then turned the camera towards Aslam, who also quoted Yadav as telling Pakistani fans to have some courage.

Earlier, Pakistan’s innings started strong with Babar Azam leading from the front, but India's bowling unit took control soon after. The middle overs saw a chokehold applied by Indian spinners, making it difficult for Pakistan to accelerate. Despite having wickets in hand, they struggled to put up a competitive total.

Yadav was brought in to bowl crucial overs when he took back-to-back wickets for Salman Ali Agha and Shaheen Afridi. His spell effectively ensured that Pakistan couldn't push their total beyond 250, which could have been a challenging target on that surface.

Chasing 242, India comfortably reached the target for the loss of just four wickets. The highlight of the chase was Virat Kohli’s masterclass as he remained unbeaten, scoring a brilliant 100 off 111 balls, anchoring the chase to perfection.

With this victory, India virtually knocked hosts Pakistan out of the tournament. With New Zealand’s decisive win over Bangladesh on Monday, Pakistan were officially eliminated from Champions Trophy 2025.