Imam-ul-Haq Run Out Sparks Funny Reactions from Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar

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Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq got off to a slow start in the blockbuster Group A encounter against India in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy, but a quick couple of wickets pegged them back and brought Rohit Sharma and co back in the contest. First, Babar Azam was sent to the hut by Hardik Pandya, and then Imam-ul-Haq, in a rush of blood, got himself run-out. Soon after, Ravi Shastri, Wasim Akram and Sunil Gavaskar poked fun at Imam-ul-Haq, bringing former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and his uncle into the conversation.

On the second ball of the 10th over, Imam-ul-Haq leaned forward to push a Kuldeep Yadav delivery towards mid-on. He then took off for a quick single, but Axar Patel charged in to hit the stumps directly. Imam was caught well short of the ground despite putting in a dive. Imam walked back to the pavilion after scoring 10 runs off 26 balls. For the uninitiated, Imam is the nephew of Inzamam. During the commentary, Ravi Shastri mentioned how Imam has been run out on six occasions while Inzamam holds the record for being run out on 46 occasions in international cricket. This prompted Ravi Shastri to ask Inzamam whether it runs in the family.

Answering the question, Akram said, "No comment. Inzy will get upset. But I might be there somewhere as well. I wasn't the best runner in the world. It (Imam's run-out) was kind of a suicide run. There was no need for it. He was well set, and then that silly decision by Imam-ul-Haq. He is back in the dressing room." On the other hand, Sunil Gavaskar said, "Ravi, you asked whether it runs in the family? I think there's no run in it." The match was a crucial one for Pakistan, who needed to win to stay alive in the competition and keep their fate in their own hands.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan earlier won the toss and opted to bat first. The side brought Imam into the playing XI after opening batter Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury he suffered against New Zealand. The ICC Champions Trophy match was being played at the Dubai International stadium, and India did not change their playing XI. Pakistan lost the tournament opener against New Zealand by 60 runs, while India defeated Bangladesh by six wickets. Here are the match scores:

• Pakistan vs India: 47-2
• Pakistan vs New Zealand: lost by 60 runs
• India vs Bangladesh: won by six wickets

The incident sparked a hilarious meme fest on social media, comparing Imam to his uncle Inzamam who was also at the center of many forgettable run-outs over the course of his career. Axar Patel's stunning direct hit and Imam-ul-Haq's run-out was a moment of brilliance in the #GreatestRivalry, and it will be interesting to see how Pakistan recovers from this setback. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Pakistan and India was a highly anticipated one, and the run-out of Imam-ul-Haq added to the excitement of the game.