Aakash Chopra and fans mock Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif after Hong Kong Sixes win over India

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was mocked on social media after he congratulated his country’s team for defeating India at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 on October 30, prompting users to question the context of his post.

Sharif praised the players and acknowledged Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi in a message on X that referred to the result as the “opening clash” of the tournament, writing: “Congratulations to our boys on a superb four-wicket victory over India in the opening clash of the Hong Kong Sixes 2026! It was a good game of cricket. I also commend Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi and his team for their dedicated efforts in preparing and supporting our players.” The phrase “opening clash” drew attention because Pakistan had already lost an earlier match to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that same day.

The match took place at the Mission Road Ground in Hong Kong, where India posted 88/5 in their allotted six overs, with Shashank Singh scoring 40 off 11 deliveries.

Pakistan chased the target in 3.5 overs, winning by four wickets; Khawaja Nafay led the chase with an unbeaten 41 off 12 balls.

Sharif’s post generated sarcastic reactions from followers on X, including a post attributed to Krishna Anand that read: “PM Modi posts after winning the Cricket WC, Asian Games Gold, Asia Cup, Hockey Olympics etc. Meanwhile Pak PM:” and a post from Big Cat Of The Day stating: “Congratulations on winning match against India in biggest cricket tournament on planet. This exceeds any World Cup or Asia Cup ever played.”

Former India opener Aakash Chopra also responded on X, pointing out the factual error and questioning the attention given to the Sixes, writing: ‘“Humne Bharat Ko Hara Diya” bolne ki itni jaldi hai ki fact-check bhi nahin kiya. UAE se haare in the opening game. And also, you can gauge the quality of cricket Pakistan is playing that country’s PM is tweeting about Hong Kong Sixes. I mean. Really!!’ Several cricket fans shared Chopra’s post and joined the ensuing online debate.

The mistake over the match being called the tournament’s “opening clash” was notable because Pakistan had earlier lost to the UAE, meaning the India game was not the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 opener and the post’s wording became the focal point of the social media reaction.