During an IPL match, cricketer Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli had a verbal spat. On the field, the Indian cricket team has been docile and submissive for a long time. The times have changed since Sourav Ganguly’s era, and with Virat Kohli at the helm, there is little chance of India becoming a ‘gentleman’s team.’While sledging and on-field fighting have always added a different flavour to the game of cricket, they can also turn ugly at times.
The banter is always entertaining as long as it does not become offensive. Gautam Gambhir is one Indian player who has a history of getting into fights. During the ongoing Round 4 Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Bengal, the former Indian opener got into an argument with Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary.
Gautam Gambhir, a two-time World Champion and a legendary name in Indian cricket, is known for his aggressive and blunt remarks on and off the field. However, the former India opener’s reaction time has resulted in some very ugly incidents on the cricket field. Here are five instances when Gautam Gambhir got into an on-field brawl with the opposition:
Cricketer Gautam Gambhir fights:
5. Gambhir vs Akmal:
An India-Pakistan match is the pinnacle of all cricket battles, with so much on the line that the players themselves can become quite tense. During an Asia Cup match in 2010, an overly enthusiastic appeal by Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal enraged Gautam Gambhir to the point where he had to ‘chat’ with him.
Gambhir is all guns and swords with just a smidgeon of a spark. Akmal initiated a conversation, and the two clashed in a forehead-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation. The umpires were forced to step in and warn the players. Captain Cool MS Dhoni, who was batting alongside Gambhir, removed him from the fray. It’s never a good sight to see two accomplished international players engage in petty abuse.
4. Gambhir vs Andre Nel:
The Proteas were in India for the second One Day International (ODI) in 2005, which took place in Bangalore. South Africa was defending a low total of 169, and the mighty pacers were clearly under pressure because Chinnaswamy is a batsman’s paradise.
Gautam Gambhir was batting when his lofted shot resulted in a fortunate boundary. Naturally, this enraged bowler Andre Nel and a spat ensued. Gauti, as he is affectionately known, stood up to the tall Nel and exchanged heated words while smashing the pacer through all corners of the ground. Finally, the umpires stepped in and restored order to the proceedings. India won the match by a margin of six wickets.
3. Gambhir vs Shahid Afridi:
Pakistan was on a five-match ODI tour of India in 2007, and this heinous incident occurred during the third ODI in Kanpur. Gautam Gambhir was struggling in the middle, and the Delhi southpaw, never one to back down from a fight, riles up bowler Shahid Afridi, and the two players are yelling at each other from 22 yards away, using non-dictionary language.
Gambhir stole a quick single and collided with Afridi, infuriating the Pakistani. A barrage of abuse is hurled both ways, forcing umpire Ian Gould to intervene and separate the pair. Both were fined for their antics, which violated the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Code of Conduct. Yuvraj Singh’s heroics propelled India to victory in this match.
2. Gambhir vs Shane Watson:
Political tensions have rendered the India-Pakistan bi-lateral series obsolete. As the arch-rivals meet less frequently, the fanfare has begun to shift in favour of India-Australia clashes. While they will never compare to a match between neighbours, due to India and Australia’s recent history, these matches can also get wild. Shane Watson and the Delhi batsman met in the third test at Feroz Shah Kotla during the Border-Gavaskar test series in 2008.
The incident with Watson occurred in the 51st over of the innings, after Gambhir had reached 65. During the first run, the former Indian opener flicked Watson towards midwicket, and the bowler gesticulated and said something to Gambhir. While returning for the second, Gambhir appeared to stick out his elbow and hit Watson in the rib cage (he later claimed it was an accident). Another heated exchange ensued later when Simon Katich got in the way of Gambhir’s attempt to steal a sharp single. The drama continued throughout his time at the crease because neither party chose to calm down.
1. Gambhir vs Virat Kohli:
This was one of the most heinous incidents in Indian Premier League (IPL) history because it involved a fight between two players who not only play for the same state but also for the same international team. Both Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir play for Delhi in Ranji and have claimed to be friends while representing India.
That is why the entire world was stunned when these two met in a match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the sixth edition of the IPL.
The incident occurred during the first delivery of Lakshmipathy Balaji’s tenth over. Kohli went for a wild slash after hitting Pradeep Sangwan for two sixes but was caught in the sweeper cover region. Instead of trudging back to the pavilion as Gambhir and the other players celebrated their dismissal, Kohli walked towards short extra cover and apparently made a remark. Gambhir was seen walking angrily towards his junior, and an ugly verbal duel ensued. It took another Delhi lad, Rajat Bhatia, to intervene and restore sanity.
So, this was all about the cricketer Gautam Gambhir. Also read, 5 times cricketer Sreesanth fought on field with co-players.
