IND vs AFG: Naveen-ul-Haq To Sit Out Against India? Afghanistan Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi Gives Stunning Verdict On Virat Kohli-Naveen Ul Haq Row

Ahead of the India vs Afghanistan match in the ongoing 2023 World Cup, the cricketing fraternity is busy recalling the infamous altercation between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq in this year’s IPL.

They were involved in a heated exchange on the field while Naveen-ul-Haq was batting during the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants. Kohli had allegedly told his team’s fast bowlers to target the tail-ender with bouncers, much to the disappointment of the Afghan pacer. The RCB star was also seen making a derogatory gesture with his shoe towards Naveen-ul-Haq.

Things took a turn for the worse after the game when the LSG bowler refused to shake hands with Kohli. Moments later, LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir also decided to make his presence felt by having a furious exchange with Kohli before they were separated by other players.

Since that game, Naveen-ul-Haq and Kohli have not played any game against each other. And they are likely to come face to face when India takes on Afghanistan in the ninth match of the ongoing World Cup on Wednesday (October 11). The match is scheduled to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Kohli’s home ground.

Afghanistan skipper on Virat Kohli-Naveen-ul-Haq duel:

With a potential duel between Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq becoming the talk of the town ahead of the game, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was asked about the same. He was asked about the impact of the spat on Afghanistan players.

In reply, Shahidi began by calling India home and highlighted the adulation received by the Afghan players from the Indian fans, saying:

“See, as you mentioned before also, like India is our home, it was our home, we played here and the people of India give a lot of love to Afghanistan people. And what happened on the ground, that aggression comes to every player, it’s not about India and Afghanistan. So, it can come to everyone.

“So, this happened and still like if you see a lot of our players, we have idols from Indian team like Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. So, there’s not any concern about that,” he added while speaking in the pre-match presser.

Meanwhile, India will be looking to extend their winning start in the competition while Afghanistan will be looking to bounce back after losing their tournament opener against Bangladesh.