Just days after the heated verbal exchange between Naveen-ul-Haq and Virat Kohli during the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) match in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Afghanistan pacer created a buzz by sharing a photo of himself enjoying mangoes during the RCB vs. Mumbai Indians (MI) game.
The caption, ‘sweet mangoes,’ quickly went viral on social media, prompting fans to link it to Kohli’s dismissal. However, Naveen recently clarified the situation, asserting that the picture and caption had nothing to do with the legendary batsman.
Naveen ul Haq explained that he had expressed a desire for mangoes while chatting with the support staff in the hotel room, and they were arranged for him. The coincidence of the post and Kohli’s dismissal was purely unintentional.
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“I had told Dhaval bhai (LSG team logistics) that I wanted to eat mangoes. And he got mangoes that night itself. When we went to Goa, he brought mangoes. So I was sitting in front of the screen and eating mangoes,” clarified Naveen in a video released by LSG.
Who said “sweet mangoes”? 🫣😂
Full interview on YouTube! 💙#LucknowSuperGiants | #LSG | #DurbansSuperGiants | #DSG | pic.twitter.com/SKGzZv4HQ2
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) December 2, 2023
He further added, “There was no picture or anything (of Kohli); it was a Mumbai Indians player on the screen. So I wrote ‘sweet mangoes,’ and everyone took it in a different way. So even I didn’t say anything; I just left it. I thought it was mango season, so people’s shops should also do well.”
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During India’s match against Afghanistan in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq were seen sharing a laugh, indicating that they had cleared their past differences. The initial confrontation began with Mohammed Siraj’s prolonged face-off with Naveen, drawing Kohli into the situation. LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir also joined in after the match, making headlines for several weeks. In the midst of this, Naveen has been retained by LSG for the upcoming IPL 2024 season.
