While the headlines after the 2023 ICC World Cup game between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday were all about skipper Rohit Sharma's match-winning and record-breaking century, there was another moment during the game that won over the fans.
During India's chase, Virat Kohli and Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq were seen smiling while shared a hug and having a conversation. This, just five months after the two were involved in a heated altercation during an IPL match between their teams.
Reacting to the moment that was shared on the big screens at the stadium, former Indian cricketer and Naveen's IPL team's mentor Gautam Gambhir said, "That's a great gesture and I hope from here on, in the upcoming matches, everyone will be reminded of Virat's gesture because every professional cricketer works hard to make it to this level to play for the country, to play in the IPL."
"If you can't support anyone, don't criticise him. You have the right to support your favourite player but you don't have any to criticise a player," he added.
"The most important thing is the way the crowd reacted, it should have behaved in a more sensible way because no one knew from this crowd what happened between those two on that day. The two players, their team management only knew. I hope the crowds in the coming days behave better, offer better support. People are coming to play in our country, as hosts, we can become better brand ambassadors. The players coming here should take only good memories," Gambhir remarked.
Earlier, in May this year, the two players got into a ugly spat during the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants match following which Kohli and LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir, too, got into a heated argument with Virat after the game.
Following yesterday's match, the Afghan also spoke about his chat with Virat and said, “He (Kohli) is a nice guy, a good player and we shook hands."
"It (what happened) was always in the ground, it was nothing outside the ground. People make it big. They need that stuff for their followers. He said (today) 'we are done with that and I said yes we are done with that. We shook hands and hugged," he told the media.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)