2023 World Cup diary: A Virat Kohli handshake goes viral again; Rohit-Gayle’s camaraderie wins hearts

The India-Afghanistan 2023 World Cup match began with expectations of another possible war of words between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq. But the contest ended with both players exchanging a heartfelt laugh as if nothing had ever transpired between the two.

Earlier in the match, the Afghanistan pacer approached the Indian batter to end their feud. Kohli was equally willing in response and shared a warm handshake with the young fast bowler, with the two cricketers also patting each other on the back.

For the record, India beat Afghanistan by eight wickets in a one-sided 2023 World Cup contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday. Afghanistan scored 272/8 batting first as Jasprit Bumrah claimed a four-fer. Indian captain Rohit Sharma then smashed 131 off 84 balls as the Men in Blue romped home in 35 overs.

Apart from Rohit’s brilliance, the Kohli-Naveen handshake also got its share of the limelight. The scenes were in complete contrast to the one earlier this year, during IPL 2023 when both payers engaged in one of the ugliest exchanges in the history of the T20 league.

For Kohli, this wasn’t a first of any kind, at least not in the World Cup. During the previous edition in 2019, he won over many fans when he urged a section of the crowd, who were booing Steve Smith during the India-Australia match at The Oval, to clap for him instead. Smith was returning after serving his ball-tampering ban and was being given a hard time by a section of the crowd.

Kohli noticed this, turned towards them, and insisted that they should egg him on instead of being nasty towards him. The star Australian cricketer appreciated the gesture and shook hands with Kohli as a sign of acknowledgment. It is pertinent to note here that the two cricketing superstars also did not share a great camaraderie before this incident.

During Australia’s 2017 tour of India, Kohli had openly hit out at Smith over what the latter described as a brain fade. During the Bengaluru Test, Smith looked towards his teammates in the dressing room for hints after being given out. As per the rules, batters cannot do that.

The Australian batter later apologized for his actions and admitted that he had a “brain fade”. Kohli, however, refused to accept the same and stated in the post-match press conference that “there is a line you don't cross on the cricket field”.

At that point, things were not looking too good between Smith and Kohli. Two years down the line, things changed drastically as both players let bygones be bygones and gave a new start to their friendship.

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Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle bond over sixes

During the World Cup match against Afghanistan, Indian captain Rohit was on a record-breaking spree. One of the big records he broke was that of the most sixes in international cricket.

Ahead of the match, West Indies legend Chris Gayle held the record with 553 sixes from 483 matches across the three formats of the game. Rohit now has 556 in 453 games. The Indian captain struck five maximums in the game against Afghanistan to go with his 16 fours in his spectacular knock.

Gayle congratulated Rohit with a cheeky post on his X handle. He shared a picture of himself and Rohit posing with their jersey No. 45 and wrote:

“Congrats, @ImRo45 - Most Sixes in International cricket. #45 Special 🙌🏿.”

Rohit responded in his witty fashion and commented:

“Thanks CG 🤙 4&5 on the back but our favorite number is 6 😄.”

Fans loved the camaraderie between the two six-hitting giants of international cricket. One of them, Kausthub Gudipati, commented:

“Great friendly convo despite never sharing a team... but only jersey number and 6-hitting skills 😁.”

Given the kind of form that he is in, expect Ro to Hit a few more balls out of the park in the ongoing World Cup.

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Gill in Ahmedabad, but no certainty over participation in the World Cup clash against Pakistan

Meanwhile, Indian opener Shubman Gill, who has been battling sickness, has reached Ahmedabad, where India will play their next World Cup match against Pakistan on Saturday. A video of the 24-year-old arriving in Ahmedabad, wearing a mask, went viral on social media on Wednesday.

While Gill has reached the venue of India’s next match, uncertainty over his participation remains. It is unlikely that he will completely recover in time for the big clash against Pakistan. So expect Ishan Kishan to open with Rohit again in Ahmedabad.

As for Gill, India fans will have their fingers crossed and hope he is ready by the time the Men in Blue play their fourth World Cup game against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19.