Afghanistan all-rounder Naveen-ul-Haq, who is currently plying his trade in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024, recently opened up on his heated exchange with Indian batting great Virat Kohli. The two, during Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)’s clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 were seen getting into a fight, which turned into a verbal altercation at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
The incident happened on May 1, when the Afghan all-rounder tried to twist Virat Kohli’s hands at the conclusion of the match when the two teams lined up. The situation worsened with Gautam Gambhir intervening the conversation. However, things were put to rest when Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq greeted each other during the ODI World Cup, which took place in India in 2023.
However, more than a year after the fight, Naveen-ul-Haq has finally opened up on his fight with Kohli. Speaking with Texas Super Kings, the Afghanistan international clarified that the incident took place in the heat of the moment and there was nothing personal attached to it. “I made it clear that it was in the heat of the moment. He was representing his franchise, I was playing for my franchise. If it is for my franchise or for my country, I will give it all. I won’t back down.” Naveen-ul-Haq said in the video shared by Texas Super Kings on X.
“At the end of the day we are all players and some of us are close friends, some of us are colleagues. We just brush it out and there’s nothing personal. In the ODI World Cup, it finished once and for all.” he added.