Afghanistan international and Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has finally spoken on his clash with Indian batting star Virat Kohli during the IPL 2023.
The two got involved in an infamous confrontation during an IPL 2023 league stage match between LSG and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Lucknow.
RCB had won the tie but the incidents that followed post-game grabbed all the headlines. During the game, Kohli got involved in a verbal altercation with the Afghan cricketer and once the match got over the two players clashed once again while shaking hands.
MORE: Bet on India matches and other cricket here
Even LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir confronted Kohli, which further escalated the issue.
Naveen has now claimed that it was Kohli who started the fight and forcefully caught his hand after the game which prompted him to react angrily.
In an interview with BBC Pashto, Naveen said,
He shouldn’t have said all those things during the match and after it. I didn’t start the fight. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat Kohli started the fight. When you will look at the fines, you will understand, who started the fight.
I just want to say one thing I generally don’t sledge anyone, and even if I do I would say it to the batters only when I am bowling because I am a bowler. In that match, I didn’t utter a single word. I didn’t sledge anyone. Players, who were there they know how I dealt with the situation. I never lost my temper, when I was batting or after the match. What I did after the match can be seen by everyone. I was just shaking hands and then he (Kohli) caught my hand forcefully and I am also a human being and I reacted.
He added,
If someone is saying something to me I won’t back off. I have had it since I started playing the U-16 for Afghanistan in 2010. I never badmouth anyone but if anyone does that to me I don’t stay silent. I give it back. You can call it wrong but that’s how it is. Be it a young player from the opposition or a senior team member, be it in a club match, playing for Afghanistan, or in the IPL, I play the cricket match with the same intensity and I would back off when someone says something to me. Honestly speaking, if I would be in such situations again, I would not back off. My reaction would be the same.
Naveen-ul-Haq became the subject of heavy internet trolling by Kohli loyalists after the incident. The player in turn mocked the Indian star with cryptic social media posts whenever RCB lost.
READ: India's tour of West Indies - Fixtures
