Pakistan national cricket team all-rounder Faheem Ashraf has sparked another India-Pakistan debate after talking about the players he admired while growing up. Faheem Ashraf has turned heads by surprisingly picking an Indian superstar among his inspirations.
Many have hailed Faheem Ashraf for openly appreciating players from India, but at the same time, some fans were not happy with the indirect remark he made while speaking about Indian players and cross-border relations, which have now been at their lowest since 2025.
Faheem Ashraf sparks fresh India-Pakistan debate with Suresh Raina pick
Recently, Faheem Ashraf revealed that some of the biggest names who inspired him with the bat were Pakistan legend Saeed Anwar, West Indies great Chris Gayle, and Sri Lanka icon Kumar Sangakkara. Apart from that, the Pakistani star surprisingly picked former Indian superstar Suresh Raina over the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni.
When it came to bowling, the bowling all-rounder said that Mohammad Asif was the player he admired the most. However, he indirectly took a brutal dig at the current generation of players, who never admire the Pakistani legends openly because of the cross-border tension.
Faheem said on a YouTube podcast, “My idols with the bat were Saeed Anwar, Gayle, Sangakkara, and Raina. Indian players may have restrictions and perhaps cannot openly talk about us, but we have no issues naming them. With the ball, I idolized Mohammad Asif. He was truly inspiring.”
Faheem Ashraf “My idols with the bat were Saeed Anwar, Gayle, Sangakkara and Raina.
— Pavilion Post (@CricinsightsX) May 17, 2026
Indian players may have restrictions and perhaps cannot openly talk about us, but we have no issues naming them
With the ball, I idolised Mohammad Asif. He was truly inspiring”
[Hassan Azam YT] https://t.co/LTRGmcoBat pic.twitter.com/Tbo4psGUNB
Faheem Ashraf pick Saeed Anwar, Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina and Kumar Sangakkara as his idol
Saeed Anwar remains one of Pakistan’s most stylish openers ever. He completely changed the way opening batters attacked fast bowlers and became a nightmare for bowlers during the 1990s. His elegant shots and fearless attacking batting made him one of the most dangerous players of his generation. He scored more than 8,800 ODI runs and over 4000 Test runs.
On the other hand, Chris Gayle became one of the biggest entertainers and most dangerous batters the game has ever seen. The West Indies giant transformed T20 cricket with his explosive six-hitting power. He is known among the fans as the “Universe Boss” because of the fear he created by smashing massive sixes and destroying bowling attacks across all leagues and international games.
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Gayle finished his career with over 10,000 ODI runs, over 7000 Test runs, and around 2000 T20I runs. Kumar Sangakkara was another player Ashraf looked up to. The Sri Lankan great was known for his calmness, consistency, and classy batting style. He has over 12000 Test and over 14000 ODI runs to his name.
Speaking about Suresh Raina, the former India star played a huge role in India’s success in white-ball cricket during the MS Dhoni era. His aggressive batting, remarkable fielding, and ability to handle pressure, apart from being a handy off-spinner, made him one of the best players. Raina has scored over 5600 runs in ODIs and over 1600 runs in T20I cricket.
Mohammad Asif is called 'true inspiration' by Faheen Ashraf
Ashraf’s decision to pick Mohammad Asif has surprised many. Even though Asif’s career ended early because of the spot-fixing controversy, he was one of the finest swing and seam bowlers Pakistan ever produced.
He was not that paceman, but he had a special skill of swinging and seaming the ball both ways, which troubled some of the greatest batters of his generation. Asif has 106 wickets in 23 Tests, 46 wickets in 38 ODIs, and 13 wickets in 11 T20Is to his name.
