Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was happy with Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq burying the hatchet in the World Cup 2023 clash at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on October 11. Shastri said that “time is a great healer” as the two cricketers shook hands and hugged it out in the field to end the conflict.
"It is part and parcel of sports. Let bygones be bygones and you got to move on with time. Time is a great healer. Sport teaches you to embrace a lot of things that may not go your way. It was great to see that and great to see it coming on the giant screen time and time again for the public to take notice of the fact that it is sportsmanship at the end of the day," Shastri said to Star Sports.
Shastri said that the two set an example as they lost their cool on the field and more than five months later settled the scores on the field as well.
"In the heat of the moment, they might have lost their cool, words might have been exchanged and other people might have got into the mix that happens in sports. But to see what happened today was very good.
"Six months down the line, they both realised that it could have been done in another way; let's not take things to heart. If scores can be settled on the field for everyone to see, nothing like it," Shastri added.
India beat Afghanistan by eight wickets with 15 overs to spare in the run chase of 273. While Rohit Sharma went on a record-breaking spree with his 131-run knock, Kohli finished the run chase with an unbeaten 55.
After the match, Naveen revealed the conversation with Kohli when they shook hands.
"Crowd will chant for their home cricketers and that is what they did. It is his (Kohli's) home ground. He is a nice guy, a good player and we shook hands.
"It (what happened) was always in the ground, it was nothing outside the ground. People make it big. They need that stuff for their followers. He said (today) 'we are done with that and I said yes we are done with that. We shook hands and hugged," Naveen told PTI.
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