ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: [WATCH] Naveen-ul-Haq Responds With A Heartwarming Gesture Following Crowd Chants In Delhi

The incident occurred during the 13th match of the World Cup, where Afghanistan faced England. The intense altercation between Indian cricket star Virat Kohli and Afghan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq during the 16th IPL season had a significant impact on the cricket world.

Naveen, who faced substantial criticism for his conduct towards Kohli, brought heightened anticipation as Afghanistan joined the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Fans eagerly awaited the showdown between Kohli and Naveen.

However, it appeared that both players resolved their differences as they were spotted sharing a friendly hug during the India vs. Afghanistan match in the major tournament. With the matter seemingly resolved, it’s evident that the Indian fans have wholeheartedly embraced Naveen-ul-Haq.

Clearly, during the Afghanistan vs. England match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the 13th game of the 2023 ODI World Cup on Sunday, October 15, the spectators at the stadium were heard loudly chanting Naveen-ul-Haq’s name.

In a viral video, the fast bowler can be observed smiling and graciously acknowledging the chants, which was a heartwarming gesture.

How One Little Action by Virat kohli Converted Hate to Love 🫶❤

From " KOHLI KOHLI " To "NAVEEN NAVEEN " Chants. #INDvsBAN #ViratKohli𓃵 #AFGvsENG #NaveenUlHaq #ENGvAFG #Afganistan pic.twitter.com/q79tBgjph0

— Deepak Chahar 🇮🇳 (@deepak_chahar95) October 16, 2023

Virat Kohli is a gentleman both on and off the cricket field- Naveen-ul-Haq

Naveen ul Haq said Virat Kohli is a “nice guy” after they seemed to end their rivalry, which began during this year’s IPL, by hugging during the India-Afghanistan match in the 2023 World Cup. However, they appeared to have resolved their differences as Naveen approached Kohli during the game. They shook hands and shared a hug, and Kohli even signalled to the crowd not to jeer at Naveen.

This is similar to what Kohli did in the 2019 World Cup when he told the crowd to cheer for Steve Smith instead of jeering at him because of his involvement in a ball-tampering incident. For this act, Kohli received the ICC Spirit of the Year Award.

Naveen commended Kohli for a comparable action on Wednesday, expressing his thoughts to reporters after the match, “He [Kohli] is a nice guy, he’s a good player. We just shook hands and just dusted (sic) whatever was done in the IPL. It was always on the ground, nothing outside. People make it big, the media – they want this stuff for their followers.”

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