It has been two months since the enthralling IPL 2023 had ended. And even as world cricket went through the WTC final thereafter and is presently being entertained by the riveting Ashes contest which is down to the final day on London, discussions on the last IPL season and its impact will continue before being overtaken by debates around the impending 2023 World Cup. But there will be one topic that will remain in conversations for long, and for all the wrong reasons – the infamous fight between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.
Kapil Dev recalled the infamous fight between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli in IPL 2023
In the first week of May, when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had visited Ekana Stadium to take on Lucknow Super Giants, and while it was expected to be significant battle with playoffs qualification on the line, the match gained fame for off-field reasons.
Kohli had entered into a heated argument with LSG player Naveen-ul-Haq during the match which later continued after RCB’s win with both sharing an intense handshake. It was then that Lucknow mentor Gambhir got involved in the fight, resulting into an ugly scene where other players had to jump in to separate the two former India teammates.
More than three months since that infamous incident, former India captain Kapil Dev made a painful admission while making a striking request to BCCI in being involved in grooming the players during their U-19 days as well.
They have to groom players to be good citizens also. What happened between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli in the IPL, it was painful for me. My two most important peopleVirat Kohli, one of the top batters in the world; Gambhir is now member of Parliamenthow can they behave in such a manner? But sportsmen do lose their mind, from Pelé to Don Bradman to all people, he said in his interview with The Week.
Kohli never spoke about that incident again although for a few days after that match there were cryptic posts on his Instagram handle hinting towards that spat.
Meanwhile, Gambhir, in an interview with News 18 last month, had broken silence on that ugly argument with Kohli. He said: My relationship with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli is the same. If there is an argument between us, it stays only on the field, not off field. Theres nothing personal. They want to win as much as I do.”