Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir called upon fans to refrain from trolling and ridiculing cricketers, both in the field and on social media, especially as Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq resolved their differences with a warm exchange.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup’s ninth match, India faced Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. The anticipation for the game was heightened due to the Kohli-Naveen clash, following an unpleasant exchange during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier in the year.
Yet, both players exhibited exceptional maturity by choosing to reconcile during Wednesday’s match. As India pursued their target, they shared a cordial handshake and even exchanged encouraging pats on each other’s backs.
Gambhir, who was previously embroiled in the IPL dispute, was providing commentary when Kohli and Naveen reconciled. Offering his perspective, he stated:
“You fight on the field, not off the field. Every player has the right to fight for his team, fight for respect, and fight to win.”
”It doesn’t matter which country you belong to or how good of a player you are. The good thing was when we saw Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq in between the overs, we can see that the fight has ended.”
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In a strong message directed at fans, the ex-cricketer further stated:
“I would also want to tell the crowd and fans that any player in the ground or on social media, shouldn’t be trolled or made fun of. You are passionate when you represent your team. It was a huge thing for Naveen to play in IPL for the first time coming from Afghanistan.”
Kohli’s unbeaten 55 from 56 deliveries helped India successfully pursue a target of 273 in just 35 overs, securing an eight-wicket victory. This triumph marked India’s second consecutive win in the World Cup.
“He said we are done with that, and I said yes” – Naveen thoughts on interaction with Kohli
In a post-match interview following the India-Afghanistan game, fast bowler Naveen discussed his conversation with Kohli and the contentious incident that occurred during IPL 2023. He expressed that external individuals had magnified the situation:
“He [Kohli] is a nice guy, a good player, and we shook hands. It’s always in the ground; it was nothing outside the ground. People make it big. They need that stuff for their followers. He said we are done with that, and I said yes, we are done with it. We shook hands and hugged.”
Although Kohli delivered a noteworthy performance, Rohit Sharma earned the Player of the Match award for his outstanding 131 off 84 balls against Afghanistan.
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