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New Delhi: Former Indian opener and 2007 T20I and 2011 World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir has opened up about his verbal fight with star batter Virat Kohli during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
The huge incident took place when Virat Kohli and LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq exchanged a few words during the game. The former Indian skipper made some animated gestures towards the Afghanistan pacer when he was at the crease to bat during the chase.
Then, the on-field umpires and other players had to intervene to bring the situation under control. After RCB won the thrilling match, both players got into a war of words during the post-match handshakes, at which time former LSG mentor Gambhir got involved in an argument with the former RCB skipper. Once again, other players had to come into the mix to bring the situation under control.
Speaking on the ANI podcast, Gautam Gambhir opened up about the fight when he was asked about it. The former Indian opener stated that no one could come and walk over my players, and he had all the rights to defend his players after the game.
EP-120 with Gautam Gambhir premieres on Saturday at 5 PM IST
“No one can come and walk over my players,” Gautam Gambhir on Naveen-ul-Haq controversy#ANIPodcastwithSmitaPrakash #GautamGambhir #Dhoni
Tune in here: https://t.co/LLgzRg3fCS pic.twitter.com/mHhRROyn4S
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2023
“As a mentor, no one can come and walk over my players and I’ve got a very different belief. Till the time game was on, I had no right to interfere but once the game was over, if someone still gets into a heated argument with my players, I’ve got all the rights to defend them,” said Gautam Gambhir.
However, during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match between India and Afghanistan, both Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq sorted things out, as the duo shared a good moment during the match.
On the other hand, the two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roped in captain Gautam Gambhir as a mentor on November 22.
“I am not an emotional person and not many things move me. But this is different. This is back to where it all started. Today, there is a lump in my throat and fire in my heart as I think about slipping into that purple and gold jersey once again,” Gambhir said on his return.
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