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A massive controversy erupted after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Lucknow on Monday, May 1, as Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir got involved in a heated argument. The RCB batter and LSG mentor had to be separated as things got really ugly.
It all began during the match when Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq had a go at each other. Both players were clearly peeved at each other. Even after the match, when cricketers from both sides did a customary handshake, Kohli and Naveen had another heated exchange.
Tempers continued to flare as Kohli and Gambhir engaged in an extremely ugly conversation over what transpired on the field during the closing moments of the match.
Plenty of reactions have been flowing in from former Indian cricketers over the controversy. Here are five expert comments on the Kohli-Gambhir saga.
#1 “Ensure that these things don't happen” - Sunil Gavaskar
During a discussion on Star Sports, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar questioned the severity of imposing a match fee penalty.
Both Gambhir and Kohli were fined 100 percent match fee for their altercation. At the same time, Gavaskar asked for measures to be taken so that such incidents are not repeated. The legendary Indian batter commented:
"These things never look good. What is a 100 per cent match fee? What exactly is a 100 per cent match fee? If it is Kohli, who is on maybe Rs 17 crore for RCB, which means Rs 17 crore for a possible 16 matches, including the semi-finals, and finals. So you are talking about a crore of rupees. Is he going to be fined Rs 1 crore and more? Well, that's a very, very stiff fine.
"My point, do something which will make sure, these things don't happen again. If it has to, you know, like it happened with Harbhajan and Sreesanth 10 years ago, that you have to ask them for maybe step aside for a couple of matches. Make sure you do something that ensure that these things don't happen and also something that will hurt the team. That's a stiff one.”
#2 “What is the need for all this?” - Harbhajan Singh
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh termed Kohli and Gambhir as his “little brothers” and urged them to bury the hatchet.
Referring to the “slapgate” incident involving him and S Sreesanth in IPL 2008, Harbhajan said that he still regrets his behavior.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan commented:
"Virat, you are a big player, there is no need for you to get in a fight with anyone, what is the need for all this? Everyone will start pointing fingers and blame, but all of this is not a good advertisement for cricket. They are such big players, Gambhir is an MP as well, these are my little brothers, and nothing good will come off this. This is all useless.
"Kids watch you guys play and it is our responsibility being ambassadors of the game that we impart the right image to the younger generation. I hope that my two brothers will hug it out and bury the hatchet. That will be a very positive message for everyone."
#3 “It wasn't the nicest thing to see” - Anil Kumble
Former India captain Anil Kumble admitted that emotions are bound to be on display during a match. He, however, urged cricketers to show some respect for the game and not carry the animosity off the field.
Speaking on JioCinema, Kumble said:
"A lot of emotions do go in but you should not be displaying such emotions openly. You may disagree on field, you may have a go at the opposition, you may say things on the field in the heat of the moment. But once the game is over, you just need to shake hands and doff your hat, not to the player but to the game; because that's something you need to respect.
“I don't know what was said, some things may have been personal. That's something you don't want on the cricket field. Both with Virat, Gautam and whoever was involved, it wasn't the nicest thing to see.”
#4 “Why does Kohli get so angry and why is Gautam so Gambhir?” - Aakash Chopra
Former India opener Aakash Chopra wondered why Kohli gets so angry. He went on to state that the confrontation between the two Delhi boys was totally avoidable.
Discussing the controversy on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
“Why does Kohli get so angry and why is Gautam so Gambhir (serious)? No matter what happened in the match, what happened after the match was a bigger commotion – totally avoidable in my opinion. It was payback time and it happened. You (RCB) lost the last match by one wicket and here you won by 18 runs. The scenes after that were not very nice. Personally, it just leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
"You have two great players, of which one is Virat Kohli, the youth icon. You look at him and want to become like him. But when he is part of a constant tussle, you want to become a player like him but what about the … – you get it, right.”
#5 “Unbecoming for the game” - Robin Uthappa
Describing both Kohli and Gambhir as fiery characters, former India batter Robin Uthappa stated that their conduct was unbecoming.
He told JioCinema during a discussion:
"Those handshakes were intense one and it came down to few words after the game. It's a hard one to watch to be honest and it is unbecoming for the game. I know both are fiery characters as Gautam Gambhir wears his heart on his sleeve and Virat Kohli is the same.”
It remains to be seen whether Kohli and Gambhir hug and makeup, as Harbhajan suggested, or if the verbal war continues.
