In a forthright disclosure, former Indian cricket opener and two-time World Cup champion Gautam Gambhir has illuminated the intense verbal clash involving himself, Virat Kohli, and pacer Naveen-ul-Haq. This incident unfolded during the IPL 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The heated exchange transpired as Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq exchanged words on the field at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Virat Kohli’s animated gestures towards the Afghan pacer escalated tensions, necessitating on-field umpires and fellow players to step in and restore order.
Post RCB’s exhilarating triumph, tensions flared again during the customary post-match handshakes. Gambhir, then serving as the mentor for LSG, found himself embroiled in a verbal altercation with Virat Kohli, requiring the intervention of other players to defuse the confrontation.
In a recent interview on the ANI podcast, Gambhir shed light on the incident involving Virat Kohli and Naveen ul-Haq.
He underscored his belief that as a mentor, he has the responsibility to defend his players when confronted after the game. Gambhir asserted, “As a mentor, no one can come and walk over my players, and I’ve got a very different belief. Till the time the 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.”
