Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler, Naveen-ul-Haq opened up about sledging in cricket, days after he was involved in a heated verbal spat with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli. Naveen, playing in his first year in the Indian Premier League (IPL), made headlines after he was seen in a verbal spat during a tense IPL 2023 match between LSG and RCB in Lucknow on May 1.
Naveen-ul-Haq did not hold back as he was involved in the flared-up moments on the field and during the post-match routines. The spat started when Naveen and RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj was involved in a needling battle and it eventually turned out to be ugly scenes after RCB’s victory in Lucknow.
Gautam Gambhir got involved in the altercation as he had a go at Virat Kohli and the two cricketers had to be separated by their teammates, including KL Rahul. Naveen was fined 50 percent of the match fee for involving in the spat while Kohli and Gambhir received a fine of 100 percent match fee after the ugly fight that overshadowed the hard-fought battle in Lucknow.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli Reveals How He Has Grown With Rise Of RCB
Speaking to fellow Lucknow pacer Avesh Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq said he has never been involved in serious sledging. When Avesh asked Naveen to recall an unforgettable memory of sledging that he was part of, Naveen recalled a funny incident during a first-class game.
Naveen ul Haq explained, “I have never sledged anyone at first, that’s not my habit. There was a First Class game where I was at the non-striker’s end with whom I had a bit of a sledging incident. The guy fielding at slip position was recently married. He asked us to finish the game quickly as it was the last wicket. He said he needed to go home because of some work. That is one sledging incident I remember from a first-class game.”
ALSO READ: Ricky Ponting Talks About His Camaraderie With Sourav Ganguly
Avesh Khan pressed him harder to reveal a more serious incident of sledging. However, Naveen brushed it down, saying he has never been part of one. “A serious one has never happened,” Naveen said with a smile.
Avesh. Naveen. Too much fun 😂
Also, wait till 1.39 👀@AstralAdhesives | #bondtite pic.twitter.com/QlKnyZSgHu
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) May 12, 2023
Not just with Kohli, but Naveen has been involved in on-field spats with other celebrated cricketers, including Shahid Afridi.
Naveen’s Instagram stories during Mumbai Indians’ big win over Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this week also created controversy as fans found Virat Kohli connection to it.
Naveen will be keen on focusing on the job at hand as Lucknow Super Giants travel to SunRisers Hyderabad in a crunch IPL 2023 match on Saturday, May 12.
