Credit: Twitter
During the ODI World Cup 2023 match between India and Afghanistan, two of the biggest foes in the world of cricket, Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq shared a warm hug in a surprising turn of events, to end their bitter rivalry on and off the field. It led to Gautam Gambhir, who was directly involved in kick-starting their feud, praising Virat Kohli for asking the crowd to not mock Naveen-ul-Haq, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 11, Wednesday.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma's seventh World Cup century helps India record 8-wicket win against Afghanistan
For the unversed, it was the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, earlier this year, when Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq exchanged a few words in the middle of the pitch. Gautam Gambhir, who was the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants, stood up for his player Naveen-ul-Haq, in the face of Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore, to fuel speculations about unending bitterness among the trio, until this very moment.
When Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq hugged each other on the field, Gautam Gambhir, in the Hindi commentary booth on Star Sports alongside Jatin Sapru, was left quite impressed. Shortly afterward, when Kohli gestured to the crowd to stop mocking Naveen, he was quoted as saying, "It was a great gesture from Virat Kohli to ask the crowd not to mock Naveen, I hope in coming matches, in different venues, fans don't troll him, everyone has done lots of sacrifices, you can support or not but don't mock him."
Moreover, India versus Afghanistan was a one-sided contest in the ODI World Cup 2023, which the hosts won in a comfortable manner, by eight wickets with 90 balls remaining. After Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets to help restrict Afghanistan to 272/8 in their allotted 50 overs, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma scored a scintillating 131 off 84 and Virat Kohli stayed not out on 55 off 56, to steer the country over the line.
