Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer for India, made news when he made an offensive gesture to the crowd during the 2023 Asia Cup match in Sri Lanka. A video clip of Gautam Gambhir giving the middle finger to the crowd while they yelled “Virat Kohli” and “MS Dhoni” went viral on social media.
The supporters believed that Gambhir became irritated by the cries of the aforementioned players and as he was being led out of the stadium by the officials, he flipped the bird. Although it was widely reported that the contentious gesture took place during the India-Nepal game on Monday, September 4, the actual event actually happened on September 2 during the intense contest against Pakistan.
The viral footage shows Gambhir wearing a white shirt, but a picture going viral on social media shows him wearing one during the India-Pakistan game. The ex-cricketer opted for a black t-shirt for the India-Nepal game, though.
Pic 1: Gautam Gambhir in white shirt during India vs Pakistan match
Pic 2: The viral video here also he’s wearing white shirt.
Pic 3: The shirt which he’s wearing in today’s India vs Nepal match is black pic.twitter.com/LYVVzKVNlF
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) September 4, 2023
Gautam Gambhir later clarified that the expressed anti-India sentiments were what prompted him to react in the way that he did. Gambhir spoke with the media about the incident as well and then posted on his social media accounts about his thoughts on the situation.
“‘While the truth is putting on its shoes, a lie can travel halfway around the world. Nothing is exactly as it seems. Any Indian would resort to the same type of anti-national rhetoric as I did. I adore my nation and I love our athletes, Gambhir wrote on his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account.
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes”.
Not everything is as it seems. Any Indian would react how I did to the kind of slogans used against our nation. I love our players & I love my country.
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) September 4, 2023
“People post whatever they want to post on social media, so what is displayed there has no basis in reality. The reality behind the viral video is that if you shout anti-Indian sentiments and bring up Kashmir, the individual in front of you will undoubtedly respond negatively and not smile before walking away. There were one or two Pakistanis speaking about Kashmir and against India. I responded naturally as a result. Nothing negative about my nation can be heard. So, that’s how I responded,” he told the journalists.
Team India secured their spot in the Super Four stage after defeating Nepal by 10 wickets in a rain-shortened match. Following the tie versus the Men in Blue, Pakistan became the first team in the Asia Cup 2023 to advance to the knockout stages.
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