Cricket rivalries are ones that grab the attention of fans & ignite a different level of passion among them. One such rivalry that is much followed by cricket fans is the battle between Virat Kohli & Naveen-Ul-Haq. The famous spat between the duo which occurred during an IPL fixture between RCB & Delhi capitals in May 2023 continues to be the talk of the town among fans. And when these two prolific players came in front of each other during the ODI World Cup 2023 fixture between India & Afghanistan fans couldn’t stop themselves from remembering their rivalry. In fact, Virat Kohli fans went one step ahead by teasing Naveen-Ul-Haq with Chants of Kohli when the player came to bat on the field.
Notably, India is playing at Virat Kohli’s home ground i.e. Delhi & the star player got immense support from his fans. Popularly known as ‘Viratians’ King Kohli’s fans didn’t let Naveen-Ul-Haq walk off easily. The moment Naveen-Ul-Haq came to bat on the field Fans started chanting Kohli-Kohli reminding Naveen of Kohli’s fan-following & their support for the prolific batter.
Virat Kohli-Naveen-ul-Haq’s spat during the IPL 2023
During the IPL fixture between RCB & LSG, Virat and Naveen engaged in a war of words which grabbed the limelight. Virat Kohli asked RCB bowlers to target Naveen & LSG’s tailenders with fiery bouncers. But their strategy of Virat didn’t go well with Naveen who confronted Kohli on the field. The situation escalated further during post-match handshakes, as emotions ran high.
It was Gambhir’s intervention that escalated the matter. Gautam Gambhir who is the mentor of LSG interfered during Kohli’s conversation with Kyle Mayers which resulted in a war of words. Kohli and Gambhir’s heated exchange prompted authorities to impose heavy fines on both for violating the IPL code of conduct.
Naveen blamed Virat for the entire Verbal Spat
After the conclusion of the fixture, Naveen-Ul-haq plamed Virat Kohli for initiating a fight & escalating the matter. In an interview with BBC Pashto, Naveen stated, “I never lost my temper, when I was batting or after the match. What I did after the match can be seen by everyone. I was just shaking hands, and then he (Kohli) caught my hand forcefully, and I am also a human being, and I reacted.”
Virat Kohli & Naveen-Ul-Haq’s face-off in IND vs AFG Clash
Just before the beginning of the much anticipated IND vs AFG fixture, the talks of the Virat-Naveen face-off started doing rounds on social media. And fans didn’t let the hype of the duo’s face-off get reduced by teasing Naveen with Kohli’s name. Undoubtedly Virat-Naveen saga adds more spice to the action-packed game between India & Afghanistan. Kohli fans’ unwavering support for their King is an example of how ‘Kohli’ rules the hearts of Indian Cricket fans.
Also read, Fans reacts to Mohammed Rizwan’s Gaza Tweet
