Revisiting the infamous altercation between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has launched a scathing attack on the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Reigniting their decade-old rivalry in domestic cricket's biggest extravaganza - the IPL, former India opener Gambhir and ex-India skipper Kohli took potshots at each other after Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) away match against LSG at Lucknow last month.
Reflecting on the infamous verbal spat between the two icons of Indian cricket, Pakistan cricketer Shehzad has initiated an all-out attack on Gambhir by issuing a controversial statement about the two-time World Cup winner. The outspoken cricketer opined that Gambhir hurt his sentiments by targetting former RCB skipper Kohli after the low-scoring encounter between Bangalore and Lucknow at the IPL 2023.
'Gambhir was trying to do something out of jealousy'
Sharing his views on the heated rivalry, Pakistani batter Shehzad openly alleged that Gambhir acted out of jealousy and the LSG mentor was also hoping to weave his name into a fresh controversy during the IPL 2023. "As a viewer, as a sportsman, this hurt my feelings a lot. It seemed like Gautam Gambhir was trying to do something out of jealousy. It looked like he was waiting for something to happen so that he can create a controversy with Virat," Shehzad said on the Nadir Ali podcast.
'I can understand that Kohli had a fight'
Shehzad not only lashed out at Gambhir but the Pakistani batter also opted to come out in support of Kohli, who also had a heated altercation with LSG stars Naveen-Ul-Haq and Kyle Mayers. Shehzad asserted that he was upset with Gambhir for calling out Kohli after his verbal spat with the Afghanistani fast bowler. "It was really sad to see such an episode. I can understand that Kohli had a fight with the player from Afghanistan (Naveen-ul-Haq) because such things happen in the heat of the moment. But I did not understand why Gautam Gambhir showed such gestures towards the biggest player of his own country, Kohli," Shehzad added.
{{/usCountry}}Shehzad not only lashed out at Gambhir but the Pakistani batter also opted to come out in support of Kohli, who also had a heated altercation with LSG stars Naveen-Ul-Haq and Kyle Mayers. Shehzad asserted that he was upset with Gambhir for calling out Kohli after his verbal spat with the Afghanistani fast bowler. "It was really sad to see such an episode. I can understand that Kohli had a fight with the player from Afghanistan (Naveen-ul-Haq) because such things happen in the heat of the moment. But I did not understand why Gautam Gambhir showed such gestures towards the biggest player of his own country, Kohli," Shehzad added.
{{/usCountry}}For creating a ruckus in Indian cricket during the league stage of the world's richest T20 tournament, Gambhir and Kohli were also penalised by the IPL. The RCB star and LSG mentor were fined 100% of their match fees in the aftermath of the on-filed scuffle at Lucknow. Kohli's RCB failed to make it to the playoffs while the KL Rahul-less LSG side was outplayed by Mumbai Indians (MI) in the business end of the T20 tournament.