Kohli and Gambhir had a heated clash in IPL 2023 when the latter was the Lucknow Super Giants team mentor. (BCCI)
During the 2023 Indian Premier League season both Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautham Gambhir and Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli were involved in a heated argument with each other when the sides faced off in Lucknow. LSG leg-spinner Amit Mishra said it was Kohli who started “abusing” LSG’s players before Gambhir got involved.
“He started abusing our players (in the LSG vs RCB rematch in Lucknow). He didn’t have any grudges with Kyle Myers but he abused him as well. Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling, he would abuse him too. A lot of things would have been avoided but Kohli chose not to,” the former Indian leg-spinner said in YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra’s show ‘Unplugged’.
Earlier in the 2023 season in the reverse fixture between the sides a nailbiting finish in Bengaluru, LSG pipped RCB by one wicket. Gambhir provoked the home crowd with a ‘finger on his lips’ response at them. “The public was going mad so Gautam gestured them to keep quiet. Probably Virat Kohli didn’t like that. We thought the matter ended with the game but not for Kohli,” Mishra recalled.
Kohli returned the gesture to the Lucknow crowd after an 18-run win. “But the problem began after the game. He (Kohli) started abusing him again during the customary handshakes. That’s when Gambhir intervened, questioning why are you starting it again when the game had ended and you guys had won. I moved Gambhir away but Naveen later came to the dressing and said that Kohli started abusing again,” Mishra said.
However, when Gambhir, who was the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 IPL season faced RCB earlier in the year things looked amicable between both parties. “For social media, it all seemed to be over between them. But do you think Naveen will respect Kohli ever again? What about the youngsters who saw the incident where a big star was abusing others,” Mishra said.
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