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Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli is known for his aggressive nature on the field whether it is international cricket or the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sometimes he celebrates a wicket more than the bowler does. In IPL’s 2023 edition, it escalated a little further when Kohli was involved in an ugly spat with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) overseas bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and mentor Gautam Gambhir. More than a year after the incident, LSG bowler Amit Mishra accused Kohli of hurling abuses at players. Amidst Mishra’s interview clips going viral on social media, Punjab Kings (PBKS) finisher Shashank Singh recalled how Kohli never says anything negative while interacting with players on the sidelines.
"He was standing, I was standing. We were standing for 40 minutes. I didn't even know when 40 minutes passed," Shashank Singh told InsideSport.
"Our team position was 12:45. It was 12:40, I didn't know when 40 minutes passed. And we were talking about cricket, about technique, about shots, about mental chatter.
“And the way he was answering, it felt like, keep doing it, keep doing it. It felt like, he is one of our Chhattisgarh players. He was so friendly, talking to me to help me understand. It felt so good to talk to him," he added.
Kohli also told Shashank how to record his batting in the nets and then work on the flaws.
"He told me how to take a video, what to do next, how to work on things. He gave me a lot of confidence. Once I talked to him, I realised that he never says anything negative. He is always positive," said Shashank who scored 354 runs at an average of 44.25 in IPL 2024.
Mishra narrates his version of events
Meanwhile, Mishra said that Kohli unnecessary abused players which could have been avoided.
"He started abusing our players (in the LSG vs RCB rematch in Lucknow). He didn't have any grudges with Kyle Myers but he abused him as well. Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling, he would abuse him too. Bohot cheezein avoid ho sakti thi but Virat Kohli ne nahi ki (a lot of things would have been avoided but Kohli chose not to),” the 41-year-old said.
"When I was batting with Naveen, I asked Kohli, 'Who are you even talking to He's just a youngster and not even close to your stature. Whatever happened has happened.' He answered back, saying, "You make him understand that, not me."
Mishra said that Gambhir intervened when the heated exchanges continued during the customary handshake.
"But the problem began after the game. He (Kohli) started abusing him again during the customary handshakes. That's when Gambhir intervened, questing why are you starting it again when the game has ended and you guys have won. I moved Gambhir away but Naveen later came to the dressing and said that Kohli started abusing again," the leg-spinner added.
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