Cricket“Virat grabbed my hand forcefully”: Naveen-ul-Haq breaks silence on spat during IPL 2023
IPL 2023 saw a huge on-field quarrel between Virat Kohli and Naveen-Ul-Haq. It has been more than two weeks since the IPL was over, and recently the Afghani bowler has opened up about his fight and claimed that it was Virat who started the fight and forcefully held his hand after the match. During the league stage match between the Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, an on-field spat sparked between the teams, leading to raging talks between the team players and staff. Virat Kohli, Naveen-UL-Haq and LSg’s mentor, Gautam Gambhir, were also fined after the match.
Virat started the fight- Naveen
During an interview, Naveen said, “He shouldn’t have said all this during and after the match, I didn’t start the brawl. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat started the fight. If you look at the fine, you will know who started the spat. Usually I don’t sledge anyone, and even if I do, I will say it to the batsmen when I am bowling. During that match, I was batting and didn’t speak a single word , I didn’t slander anyone. Those who were there know how I handled the situation. When after the match we were shaking hands, he grabbed my hand forcefully, and I am also a human being, so I reacted.
Naveen has been into controversy before
This was not the first time that the 23-year-old bowler has entered into a cricket controversy. He has entered into on-field spats with Pakistan’s bowlers Mohammad Amir and Shahid Afridi. He said, “If someone is saying something, I won’t back down. I have had it since I started playing for Afghanistan under-16 in 2010. Whether it is a young player or a senior member of the opposition team, if they speak bad words, I will not remain silent, whether playing for Afghanistan or in the IPL.
Naveen about social media trolls
The Afghani seamer also opened up about his social media posts, which he posted without naming anyone. I never wanted to drag this matter on social media platforms, but the opposition started cursing me, so I couldn’t control myself. I never dragged anyone’s name , I was just enjoying my mangoes,” he concluded. Naveen faced fierce trolling on social media after his fight with Virat Kohli, and when he used to bowl during LSG’s match, the audience would chant Kohli’s name. When he was asked about how he dealt with this all, he said that it doesn’t affect him and only motivates him to bowl better.
