Five months after being involved in a heated altercation during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq were spotted in a much lighter and jovial mood, embracing each other and sharing a laugh during India’s 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan.
India met the Afghans on Wednesday, 11 October, in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium for their second match of the competition. Among other things, fans were also eagerly waiting to see a battle between Kohli and Naveen – except there wasn’t one, as the two have evidently shrugged off the feud.
India met the Afghans on Wednesday, 11 October, in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium for their second match of the competition. Among other things, fans were also eagerly waiting to see a battle between Kohli and Naveen – except there wasn’t one, as the two have evidently shrugged off the feud.
The Delhi crowd erupted in chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ when Naveen – the 24-year-old pacer from Afghanistan who got into a skirmish with the former Indian pacer during the game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore – came out to bat in the penultimate over of Afghanistan’s innings.
ICC World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli & Naveen-ul-Haq sharing a light-hearted moment.
(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)
While not much happened at that instance, the chants returned when Kohli came out to bat during India’s innings. However, the batter was seen crossing his hands in a ‘no’ gesture, requesting the fans to stop taunting the Afghan pacer.
Moments later, Naveen was seen approaching Kohli with a smile, as the pair then shared a laugh. Commentating for Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir – Lucknow’s mentor who was also involved in the feud – similarly encouraged the Indian fans to not direct their anger at Naveen for an incident that happened in the heat of the moment.
As for the match, India secured their second consecutive win in the competition, beating Afghanistan by 8 wickets. Chasing a target of 273 runs, India crossed the finish line in only 35 overs, courtesy of skipper Rohit Sharma's century and Kohli's ton.
(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.)