Star India batter Virat Kohli and Afghanistan player Naveen-ul-Haq made headlines following an ugly on-field spat during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year. However, Kohli and Naveen have moved on from that incident and ended the feud. The two were seen exchanging handshakes during the 2023 World Cup match between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday. And, Karthik, who was Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate, stated that things got heated up between the two when they met in IPL 2023.
But, he expressed his delight as the feud finally came to an end, saying that it isn’t healthy to carry negative things for a long time. Speaking to Cricbuzz, he said: “There was a little bit of tension in the IPL. But it is nice to see them make up and hug. When Naveen-ul-Haq came to bat, the crowd was cheering Kohli’s name. They really wanted to get under his skin. But it was nice to see them making amends, and I think that’s what world cricket needs. You don’t want to carry on something that is negative in nature for far too long. It’s been at the back of both their minds and it’s good to see them brush it under the carpet. Just happy to see a photo of them smiling together,” he added.
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It is noteworthy that during India’s match against Afghanistan, Virat Kohli was also seen asking the fans to stop mocking Naveen-ul-Haq. During the same discussion, former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan also added that while Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq have sorted out their differences, they could have a go against each other in the future. He also added that both Kohli and Naveen like to play with aggression and are fierce competitors on the field as well.
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“When he (Virat) walked out to bat, that time it was like, ‘No matter what happens, I am not going to give my wicket to this guy (Naveen)’. So, that is also important. He crossed that phase, and after that, he saw the opportunity to leave the bitter things in the past and move ahead. It’s not that it might not happen again in the future. It still might happen because both are fierce competitors. The good thing is that whatever happened, they’ve kind of solidified that now are are looking ahead. The competition and fight should stay there but within the boundaries,” he added.
