Afghanistan paceman Naveen Ul Haq has made a bold statement regarding his verbal altercation with Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli during the RCB vs LSG match in the IPL 2023. Naveen insists that it was Kohli who initiated the confrontation. While the heated exchange initially took place between Naveen and Kohli, LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir also got involved, leading to an ugly spat with the RCB captain. As a result, all three players were reprimanded by the match referee following the RCB vs LSG game.

“He shouldn’t have said all those things during the match and after it. I didn’t start the fight. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat Kohli started the fight. When you look at the fines, you will understand who started the fight,” Naveen told BBC Pashto.

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“I want to clarify that I generally don’t sledge anyone, and even if I do, I would direct it towards the batters when I am bowling because I am a bowler. In that match, I didn’t utter a single word. I didn’t sledge anyone. The players who were there know how I handled the situation,” added Naveen, the paceman from LSG.

“I didn’t lose my temper while batting or after the match. Everyone can witness what happened after the match. I was simply shaking hands, and then he (Kohli) forcefully grabbed my hand. I am also a human being, and I reacted,” Naveen explained about the verbal exchange with Kohli.

The incident occurred during the post-match formalities after the RCB vs LSG game, with Naveen engaging in a heated exchange. Meanwhile, Kohli was involved in a verbal spat with Kyle Mayers before LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir intervened. However, the situation escalated as Gambhir confronted Kohli, leading to further banter.

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Subsequently, both Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq took to Instagram stories to take jibes at each other following the controversy, which became the biggest talking point of the IPL 2023 season. Cricket fans heavily criticized Naveen on Twitter and Instagram in the aftermath of the incident, and he was also subjected to chants of “Kohli… Kohli…” from the crowd during the remaining IPL matches.