Asia Cup 2025: DJ plays 'Jalebi Baby' instead of Pakistan's national anthem during Ind-Pak match

Published - 15 Sept 2025, 11:22 IST | Updated - 15 Sept 2025, 11:43 IST

The blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium witnessed an embarrassing moment before the first ball was bowled. As the teams lined up for their national anthems, the DJ mistakenly played the popular Tesher-Jason Derulo track ‘Jalebi Baby’ instead of Pakistan’s national anthem, and the incident quickly went viral on social media.

This is not the first time Pakistan has faced such a mix-up at an international event. During the 2017 Champions Trophy in Lahore, the Indian national anthem was mistakenly played ahead of a Pakistan match. A similar error happened in 2022 during an Australia vs England game, when ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was played instead of Australia’s ‘Advance Australia Fair’. Once the early confusion was ignored, Pakistan’s national anthem, ‘Pak Sarzamin Shad Bad’, was eventually played.

DJ played Jalebi Baby song on Pakistan National anthem 🤣#INDvsPAK #BoycottINDvPAK

Sunil Gavaskar on India's convincing win over Pakistan

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and chose to bat first, but his team suffered a disappointing batting collapse. Hardik Pandya picked a wicket in the very first legal ball to dismiss Saim Ayub. Kuldeep Yadav bagged up three wickets, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel, who chipped in with two each. Pakistan could manage only 127/9 in 20 overs.

In reply, India chased the target with ease in just 15.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma’s start against Shaheen Afridi, followed by partnerships from Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma, ensured a clinical seven-wicket win. Kuldeep was named Player of the Match for the second consecutive game.

Notably, the post-match scenes witnessed further controversy. India’s players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, both at the toss and after the game. Pakistan lodged a protest, calling the act unsporting and against the spirit of cricket. As a form of retaliation, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha skipped the post-match presentation ceremony. Following this, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav defended the decision.

"Our government and BCCI, we were aligned together. The rest, we came here, we took a call. I feel we came here just to play the game. I think we gave them a proper reply. Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit. We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and we stand with their families. As I said, we dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor," said the Indian captain at the post-match press conference.