Virat Kohli Reacts Strongly to Gautam Gambhir’s Gesture: The spat between Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq in IPL 2023 remains one of the most talked-about incidents in the history of the T20 league.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season was marked by intense on-field confrontations, notably between Royal Challengers Bangalore’s star Virat Kohli and Lucknow Super Giants’ Naveen-ul-Haq. This clash extended beyond the match, involving LSG coach Gautam Gambhir, who also engaged in a heated argument with Kohli, necessitating intervention from their teammates. Recently, Lucknow spinner Amit Mishra shed light on the exact reasons behind this explosive incident.
Amit Mishra Reveals Details Behind Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir’s Heated IPL 2023 Clash
In a podcast on YouTube, Lucknow Super Giants’ veteran spinner Amit Mishra disclosed that the animosity between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir began a few matches earlier in Bengaluru. During that game, Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir made a ‘finger on mouth’ gesture towards the Bengaluru fans, which likely irked Kohli.
“It all started in Bengaluru where we (LSG) won the game, and Gambhir expressed his aggression. The public was going mad, so Gautam gestured for them to keep quiet. Probably Virat Kohli didn’t like that. We thought the matter ended with the game but not for Kohli,” Mishra said.
According to Mishra, Kohli’s dissatisfaction with Gambhir’s gesture led him to abuse LSG players during their rematch. Mishra noted that Kohli could have avoided the confrontation but chose not to, targeting players like Kyle Mayers and Naveen-ul-Haq.
Mishra even faced Kohli’s wrath when he tried to mediate during a batting stint with Naveen. “When I was batting with Naveen, I asked Kohli, ‘Who are you even talking to? He’s just a youngster and not even close to your stature. Whatever happened has happened.’ He answered back, saying, ‘You make him understand that, not me.'”
The situation escalated after the match, with Kohli continuing to abuse Naveen during the customary handshakes, prompting Gambhir to intervene. “He (Kohli) started abusing him again during the handshakes. That’s when Gambhir intervened, questioning why are you starting it again when the game has ended, and you guys have won. I moved Gambhir away, but Naveen later came to the dressing room and said that Kohli started abusing again,” Mishra added.
Although Kohli and Naveen have played against each other multiple times since the incident, Mishra doubts that Naveen will ever respect Kohli again. “For social media, it all seemed to be over between them. But do you think Naveen will respect Kohli ever again? What about the youngsters who saw the incident where a big star was abusing others,” Mishra wondered.
Read More: हार्दिक ने भी दे दिया नताशा को तलाक