(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, who recently bid farewell to his ODI career after the end of the 2023 World Cup, shared insights into his recent interaction with India batter Virat Kohli.
In the IPL 2023 clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants at, a verbal spat ensued between these two cricketers, resulting in the Afghan player facing “Kohli, Kohli” chants from the Indian’s fervent fanbase.
Despite the heated exchange, a turning point occurred during the ODI World Cup 2023 match between India and Afghanistan. Kohli and Naveen exchanged pleasantries, signaling the end of their feud.
Naveen revealed that Kohli initiated a conversation to bury the hatchet, asking if they could move past the disagreement. The 24-year-old fast-bowler agreed, and they shared a laugh, a hug, and a resolution to leave the animosity behind.
“He said, ‘finish it?’, I said, ‘Yes, let’s finish it’ so we we laughed about it, we hugged and we moved on,” Naveen said in an interview shared by Lucknow Super Giants on social media.
Recalling the exchange, Naveen mentioned Kohli’s words, “Now after this, you won’t hear my name’ or something he said [and that], ‘You’ll only get support from the crowd’. I said yeah (smiles).”
Looking ahead, Naveen emphasized his commitment to standing by his teammates.
“I’ll stand for my teammate, I’ll talk for my teammate. That’s why we are a team. Whether that’s franchise cricket, or if you are playing for Afghanistan, or just club cricket. Basically, when it’s about your country, you’ve to speak up,” Naveen added.
When questioned about the support for Afghanistan throughout the World Cup 2023, Naveen reflected positively, stating, “We’ve got support from, I think, every game. In just that one game we played against India in Delhi we didn’t get any support (smiles). [Apart from that], we got a home kind of a feeling in every game.”