India & Pakistan’s age-old on-field rivalry is not hidden from the world. The urge to emerge victorious is visible in the eyes of players on-field which results in spic fixtures over the years. These intense emotions sometimes result in players losing their cool & indulging in heated on-field spats.
One such famous incident was from a thrilling India vs Pakistan ODI fixture in 2007 when Gautam Gambhir & Shahid Afridi indulged in a verbal spat on-field & the matter escalated to the extent that the on-field umpire had to intervene & stop their fight. After the fixture, their differences have extended to other areas including politics.
Recently on a youtube show, Shahid Afridi was questioned about his equation with Gautam Gambhir. He spoke about mental tactics involved in the sport but didn’t leave the opportunity of highlighting the indifferent nature of prolific all-rounder Gambhir. He stated that Gambhir has a feisty nature which is not only directed towards him but it’s a trait which he has managed to maintain with other players as well. But soon Afridi realized that the talks were going in another direction & he changed the topic by saying that we shouldn’t dwell on the past & should talk only about positive things in this show.
“These things go on cricket. It’s normal. And I feel it has been more hyped up in social media. Woh different kisam ka character hain, aam players se thoda alag hain (He has a different character from that of normal players). His reputation is the same in Team India as well. It is not like it was only with me…he…I feel we should discuss more positive things in this show,”
said Shahid Afridi.
When the host of the show Saqib urged Afridi to point out any positive feature of Gambhir, Afridi applauded the batter for his exceptional batting skills.
“Very few Indian batters I seen having such good timing with the bat. He is an outstanding player,” added the erstwhile all-rounder,”
added the 46-year-old.
Shahid Afridi- Gautam Gambhir camaraderie in Legends League cricket
A heartwarming gesture between the duo during the Legends League Cricket in Doha depicts sportsmanship. Afridi is the Captain of Asian Giants while Gambhis is the Captain of India Maharajas. During a fixture of LLC 2023 between Asian Giants & India Maharajas, Gambhir & Afridi shake hands with each other. Later during the fixture, Afridi even checked on Gambhir after he was hit while batting. These two overwhelming moments grabbed the limelight & created a stir among fans. While some appreciated their sportsman spirit some created memes around them.
Whether the duo will forget their verbal spate & come on good terms or their off-field rivalry will continue? Share with us your views!
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