Aakash Chopra has criticized Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir for getting involved in a heated exchange after the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) IPL 2023 win against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
RCB defeated LSG by 18 runs in Lucknow on Monday (May 1) to avenge their one-wicket defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Kohli, who celebrated aggressively throughout the game, had an altercation with Naveen-ul-Haq first and subsequently with Gambhir.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the confrontation between Kohli and Gambhir was avoidable, stating:
"Why does Kohli get so angry and why is Gautam so Gambhir? No matter what happened in the match, what happened after the match was a bigger commotion - totally avoidable in my opinion."
The former Indian opener added that the argument was distasteful, saying:
"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."
Chopra also recalled that Kohli, when he was the Indian skipper, told his players not to forget that they were part of the national team when they played for their franchises and should only go hard at each other on the field and not beyond that.
"You look at him and want to become like him" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli not setting the right example
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Virat Kohli's behavior was unbecoming of a role model, explaining:
"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."
The reputed commentator added that the duo went a bit over the top, elaborating:
"The same is true for Gautam. It was not required to be very honest. It happened in Chinnaswamy too. Both of them have a little history as well but you have to diffuse the situation. I feel it was a little too much."
Chopra concluded by stating that youngsters want to become like their role models and want to play like them as well. He also named MS Dhoni a perfect example of a role model.
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