Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi reflected on his heated altercation with current Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir during an ODI in 2007. Afridi noted that Gambhir had run-ins with other players as well, but their confrontation received significantly more attention.
The incident occurred during an India-Pakistan ODI in Kanpur in November 2007. Gambhir had just hit Afridi for a four when a verbal exchange ensued. On the very next ball, the two players collided as Gambhir took a single. The situation escalated into a heated argument, prompting on-field umpire Ian Gould to step in and separate them.
Speaking to Pakistan’s Geo News, Afridi downplayed the spat, remarking (as quoted by News18):
“It was not just with me that Gautam had it. It happened with other players as well, players from Australia, South Africa, England, etc. But the thing between me and Gautam was highlighted by the media.”
In recent years, the two former cricketers have traded jabs on social media, with the Indian media also criticizing the former Pakistan captain. Addressing one such instance, Afridi remarked:
“Honestly speaking, I had tweeted that India should come to Pakistan and on that some Indian media declared me part of the Taliban.”
Reflecting on the 2007 Kanpur ODI incident, match referee Roshan Mahanama penalized Afridi with a 95% match fee deduction, while Gambhir faced a 65% deduction for violating the ICC Code of Conduct.
“Why is my fight with Shahid Afridi always highlighted?”- Gautam Gambhir’s response to the 2007 incident
In an ANI podcast, Gautam Gambhir revisited his 2007 altercation with Shahid Afridi, stating that he has moved on from the incident but criticized broadcasters for repeatedly airing it to boost TRPs.
“When there’s a match between India and Pakistan, why do they always show my fight with Shahid Afridi? There are so many other fights that have happened. Show something positive. Show when India has won the Asia Cup against Pakistan,” the former India opener was quoted as saying in the podcast.
As India’s head coach, Gambhir is facing a challenging phase. The team suffered a 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand and lost the pink-ball Test to Australia in Adelaide by 10 wickets, despite winning the first Test in Perth by 295 runs.
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