Former Pakistan's star all-rounder Shahid Afridi and current India's head coach Gautam Gambhir have had a tense and strained relationship over the years, marked by several confrontations on the cricket field. Their rivalry began in the 2007 encounter between India and Pakistan, particularly during a game in Kanpur. In that match, the two players had a heated altercation which became the talks of the town and post that incident the animosity between the two only grew over the decade.
The infamous fight between Shahid Afridi and Gautam Gambhir
Talking about the infamous incident of 2007, it all triggered when former India opener Gambhir collided with Afridi while attempting a quick single in the 20th over of the match. The confrontation escalated in no time, with both players exchanging heated words and pushing each other, until the on-field umpire Ian Gould intervened and separated them. Following the altercation, both Afridi and Gambhir were fined for their actions, marking the first chapter of their intense rivalry.
The on-field altercation between Afridi and Gambhir wasn't limited to just cricket ground as it was dragged to social media. Fans saw them exchanging verbal attacks on social media and other platforms so much so that Afridi even referenced the incident in his autobiography.
Now, after a good long 17 years Afridi has talked about his relationship with Gambhir. He revealed that Gambhir had such incidents with several other players but it was them who got the maximum traction from media.
“It was not just with me that Gautam had it. It happened with other players as well, players from Australia, South Africa, England, etc. But the thing between me and Gautam was highlighted by the media," Afridi told Pakistan’s Geo News.
“Honestly speaking, I had tweeted that India should come to Pakistan and on that some Indian media declared me part of the Taliban," he added.
Shahid Afridi analysis on Gautam Gambhir as India's head coach
Afridi also gave his verdict on Gambhir as India's head coach. While talking about Gambhir's coaching style and said that he has been the coach of KKR and played a crucial part in their title triumph in IPL 2024 which means he has delivered something.
“Gautam has been the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders and won, which means he has delivered something that the team won. Now has the responsibility of coaching the Indian team. Coaching the national team is a very big responsibility. He has been appointed recently. Every system takes time to take effect. If it is any person, I say give him time at the least," he concluded.
Gambhir is currently busy in coaching India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 which is locked at 1-1 after Australia's dominant 10-wicket win over Rohit Sharma's win in Adelaide Test on Sunday, December 8.
