Gautam Gambhir Breaks Silence On IPL 2023 On-Field Spat With Virat Kohli

LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir, in an exclusive chat with News18, explained why he sided with Naveen-ul-Haq that led to him eventually locking horns with Virat Kohli.

Lucknow Super Giants' IPL 2023 campaign ended after their shocking 81-run loss against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2023 Eliminator on May 24.

No matter where Lucknow Super Giants played, team's mentor Gautam Gambhir was targeted by Virat Kohli fans after his infamous on-field spat with Virat Kohli during Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) IPL 2023 fixture on May 1, which RCB won by 18 runs. The aftermath of one of the biggest on-field fights in IPL history -- 'Gambhir vs Kohli' clash -- saw Virat's fans teasing Gautam Gambhir and LSG Naveen-ul-Haq with 'Kohli, Kohli' chants across every venue where Lucknow played. While several theories and reports regarding Gambhir vs Kohli spat surfaced, what exactly happened on the field still remains hidden. 

Meanwhile, LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir, in an exclusive chat with News18, explained why he sided with Naveen-ul-Haq that led to him eventually locking horns with Virat Kohli.

"I have had fights on the cricket field before too but I have always kept that fight or argument limited to the cricket field only. There was an argument between two individuals and that should stay on the field and cross the boundary. A lot of people said a lot of things for TRP, and many called for interviews. Anything that happens between two people does not need to be clarified. It happened on the cricket field and not off the field. If it had happened somewhere else, off the field, then you can call it a fight. In the heat of the moment, two individuals who want to win for their team and have the right to win," Gambhir told News18 India.

Further during the chat, Gambhir said he felt Naveen-ul-Haq did nothing wrong to trigger the sort of response that he got from Kohli.

"I will say only this, that I will endorse what I did for the person who was right in that instance. If I feel that Naveen-ul-Haq did nothing wrong, then it is my duty to stand with him. And I will do that till my last breath, even it is for Naveen-ul-Haq or anyone. If I feel you are right, I will stand with you. This is what I have been taught and will continue to do. This is how I have been living my life. A lot of people said a lot of things, that I am supporting Naveen-ul-haq and not our own player. It was not that this player is ours and that player is not. If my team's player is wrong, I would not have sided with him," he explained.

Lucknow Super Giants' IPL 2023 campaign ended after their shocking 81-run loss against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2023 Eliminator on May 24 in Chennai.