IND vs AFG: Gautam Gambhir Reacts As Virat Kohli And Naveen-ul-Haq Hug It Out In World Cup 2023 After IPL Spat

Former India National Cricket Team opening batsman and the current Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor, Gautam Gambhir, reacted to the warm moment between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq in the ICC World Cup 2023.

Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq faced off each other when India took on Afghanistan in the 9th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Wednesday, October 11, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

As it was expected ahead of the match, Naveen-ul-Haq wasn’t treated well by the Delhi crowd as the spectators teased him with ‘Kohli Kohli’ chants. The reason behind the crowd’s behavior towards Naveen was his verbal spat with India batting great Virat Kohli.

The rivalry between Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq started during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The duo were engaged in a verbal spat during a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Following the heated exchange, Naveen also took shots at Kohli through his Instagram stories, and since then was bombarded with the ‘Kohli Kohli’ chants wherever he played in India.

Gautam Gambhir Reacts As Virat Kohli And Naveen-ul-Haq Bury The Hatchet

Kohli and Naveen finally buried the hatches during the match between India and Afghanistan in Delhi. Kohli asked the Delhi crowd not to tease the young pacer and the duo shook hands, shared a hug and a smile.

Reacting to the moment on-air while doing the commentary in Hindi for Star Sports, Gambhir said that it was good that the fight between Kohli and Naveen was over. He elaborated:

“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. you first fight for his team, fight for respect fight to win, and fight for the dressing room. The good thing was when we saw Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq, in between the overs, that the fight happened and ended.”

“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 in the ground. You are passionate when you represent your team. It was a huge thing for Naveen to play in IPL coming from Afghanistan,” Gambhir continued.

Kohli – Naveen with “Gambhir” commentary pic.twitter.com/u8af72XnJs

— ਅੰਕਿਤ?∆ (@CaughtAtGully) October 11, 2023