Credit: Twitter
The game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore played earlier this week in Lucknow that witnessed an episode of the Gautam Gambhir vs Virat Kohli altercation, is still grabbing all the headlines. Most cricketing personalities from around the globe believe that such incidents should be avoided, and former Australian cricketer Shane Watson is the latest name to join them.
In the 43rd game of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir engaged in an ugly verbal spat that led them to pay 100 per cent of their match fee as a fine for breaching the IPL code of conduct. The internet got divided into opinions and the incident was condemned by several big names in the cricketing fraternity.
Former Aussie skipper and DC's assistant coach, Shane Watson believes that being competitive on the field is fine but there’s no point in having heated arguments once the match is over. Cricket fans wouldn’t want to see their favourite players doing such things and getting involved in such acts. He also said that Gautam Gambhir isn’t even playing for his side, and hence, it is getting difficult for him to understand why he is getting involved in such acts.
During a segment of The Grade Cricketer podcast, Watson said, "Being competitive on the field is great, I'm all for that. That's where people are at their best… it hones their instincts and focuses their mind. But when that boils over off the field, that's when you got to leave it."
Watson added, "On the field, you can have a crack because you're fighting for survival, trying to win, and be at your best. Once the game's done, the game's done. Let's just move on. What happened with Virat and Gautam Gambhir... no one wants to see that boil over. GG's not even playing!"
It is to be noted that the RCB superstar Virat Kohli got engaged in a verbal spat with the LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq during the game between both sides on May 1, in Lucknow. The LSG mentor, Gautam Gambhir intervened in the spat making things worse, which led to a heated argument between the India former and Kohli.