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‘I Am Also Human Being’: Naveen-ul-Haq Blames Virat Kohli For On-field Spat in IPL 2023

Written by Sumit Seth

Afghanistan paceman Naveen-ul-Haq has reacted to his on-field spat with Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli during IPL 2023. Naveen, who played for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023, had an ugly altercation with Kohli during the high-octane clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.

Meanwhile, an on-field altercation between Kohli and Naveen happened during the second innings of the match. The Afghanistan pacer was also seen in an animated exchange during the post-match formality after RCB earned the points on offer.  The RCB star was also seen in a verbal exchange with Kyle Mayers before LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir ushered the West Indies all-rounder away. But, things took a turn for the worse as Gambhir squared up against Kohli and the spat ensued.

While Naveen opened up on the spat and said it was Kohli who started the fight and the fines imposed by the match referee are proof of that.

“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 will look at the fines, you will understand, who started the fight,” Naveen told BBC Pashto.

The Afghan pacer faced the wrath of Indian fans both on social media and in the ground after his altercation with Kohli. The fans trolled him massively on Twitter while he was also targeted on the field with Kohli… Kohli… chants from the crowd during IPL matches.

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Sumit Seth