In the previous season’s IPL match between the Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Afghanistan’s bowler Naveen-ul Haq relived his intense confrontation with Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli. Ex-Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir intervened after the match, which is famous for its intense moments, saw tensions between Kohli and Naveen escalate. In the just-formed IPL rivalry, the incident had a profound effect.
During an IPL match, Kohli and Gambhir, former colleagues for India, squared up after an earlier altercation between them and Naveen. Naveen-ul Haq clarified the situation by providing more information regarding what happened. Everything started when Lucknow defeated the Faf du Plessis-led team in a thrilling final against RCB during the first of the two matches between the two teams at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“We left to go to Bengaluru for our away game. That was the beginning of it all. Even though the game was close, we won, and after Avesh Khan made the game-winning runs, he threw the helmet in celebration. It’s likely that Virat Kohli wasn’t pleased. Their crew proceeded to Lucknow next. According to Naveen, who batted at No. 9 or 10, I believe we had already lost the game.
Therefore, I wasn’t prepared to be sledged. But like I mentioned before, once someone starts, I can’t stop myself. Things went on at the handshake after the game as well. Two players, Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, were the ones who mocked him,” he continued.
Gautam Gambhir overreacted when making the hushed gesture. Naveen-ul Haq
After the match, Gambhir stormed onto the field, quieting the boisterous crowd with a subdued cheer, and shook hands firmly with all of the opposition players, including Kohli. This spectacular gesture ignited an IPL frenzy and rekindled the long-standing rivalry between the two cricket players, who are renowned for their ability to stir up controversy. It reminded me of a similar event that happened in 2011, when the captain of RCB and the then-KKR captain became tense following Kohli’s dismissal, leading to a heated argument.
“In the previous game, when we needed a 1 on 1, one of their bowlers sought to run the non-striker out while going toward the bowl, so Gautam Gambhir went overboard [with the shush motion]. That was the final wicket. Because the bowler neglected to remove the bails, it became hot. Since the game had already proven to be excellent, morale-wise, things weren’t looking good. It would have been unfortunate if there had been a runout. That’s why he desired to quiet the throng. Like Virat, he is an enthusiastic person, “Naveen said in closing.
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