Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir’s fight in IPL 2023 was one of the most discussed topics. In the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, there was a heated debate between the two. Earlier during the match, heated moments were seen between Virat Kohli and Lucknow bowler Naveen-ul-Haq. Till now Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shahzad kept his point about this whole incident.
Shahzad completely saved Virat Kohli in this and blamed it on Gautam Gambhir. Shahzad attributed Gambhir’s reaction to being jealous of Kohli. Shahzad said on The Nadir Ali Podcast, quoted by Hindustan Times: “What I saw was really sad. I can understand what happened on the pitch between that player from Afghanistan (Naveen) and Virat Kohli. Such things happen, but you don’t understand why Gambhir would target his own compatriot, who is the biggest player in the world right now.”
Shahzad said: “The gestures he showed against Kohli were not correct. Our perception as viewers has changed because our feelings have been hurt. It seemed that Gambhir tried to create something out of jealousy. IPL has a brand and if someone says something to an Indian superstar, in this case Naveen, it means hate is spreading inside the locker room. That’s when a player gets the confidence to go out there and misbehave.”
Next, Shahzad said why Gambhir did this. He said that the truth is that Gambhir could not reach the same heights as Kohli. He said: “We have also seen before that Gambhir had a problem with Kohli. I think he is jealous of Kohli and always looking for an opportunity to argue with him. I have never seen anyone misbehave with Kaholi.
The Pakistani batsman further said: “He (Kohli) is the leader of the game and you have to respect him. After this, he was making excuses. He said that he once shared his Man of the Match award with Kohli. Did Virat ask you? Or does he feel that by giving him the prize, he has taken away the right to abuse Kohli for the rest of his life? It doesn’t work that way.”
Shahzad further said: “I think he can’t stomach Kohli’s respect and success. What he achieved at a young age, Gambhir was unable to do in his entire career. If you’re really a big gamer, or at heart, then this shouldn’t be your sign. You should realize your mistake and apologize to him. I have never seen any member of the management staff get into a fight between two players.