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The picturesque stadium of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in Dharamshala turned into an arena of echoes from the past for Afghanistan's pacer, Naveen-ul-Haq in the ODI World Cup clash against Bangladesh on October 7, Saturday. As Afghanistan took on Bangladesh in a riveting ODI World Cup 2023 encounter, the spectators present at the stands had a special chant up their sleeve. Every time Naveen found himself on the boundary line, a roaring 'Kohli, Kohli' chant filled the stadium, a moment captured and widely shared on social platforms.
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The incident had its roots in the IPL 2023 saga. During a high-voltage game between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the cricket world witnessed a verbal standoff between Naveen and Kohli. What started as an on-field comment soon escalated, bringing the two almost face-to-face post-match. The tension was palpable, and LSG's mentor, Gautam Gambhir, wasn't immune to it either as he also intervened which ultimately made it ‘Gambhir versus Kohli’ tussle.
In the aftermath of the confrontation, both Kohli and Gambhir were slapped with a fine, losing 100 per cent of their match fees for a Level 2 offence. Naveen, who was at the epicenter of the turmoil, received a 50 per cent match fee cut for a Level 1 offence. All involved parties accepted their respective sanctions, hoping to put the incident behind them.
Talking about the match, Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by six wickets. Naveen's prowess wasn't entirely overshadowed by the crowd's Kohli, Kohli chants. The young pacer managed to claim one of Bangladesh's wickets, ousting Mehidy Hasan, who was on a confident stride with 57 runs. Rahmat Shah's exceptional catch at mid-off was a moment of brilliance in the field.
However, Afghanistan's batting lineup struggled, setting a target that wasn't particularly challenging for the Bangladeshi batsmen. With Najmul Hossain Shanto leading the charge with a well-made 59, Bangladesh strolled past the victory line without breaking a sweat.
Afghanistan had commenced on a positive note, with openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz establishing a foundation with a 47-run partnership. But what followed was a series of setbacks. The middle order, succumbing to the pressure and making questionable shot choices, couldn't withstand the relentless bowling from Bangladesh. Bowling maestros Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismantled Afghanistan's lineup, grabbing three wickets each. Their efforts were complemented by Shoriful Islam with two wickets, while Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman added one apiece to the tally.
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