"I don't sledge someone upfront, it's not my habit" - LSG's Naveen-ul-Haq opens up on his on-field behavior
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq recently stated that he doesn't believe in initiating sledging on the field. He has maintained that he hasn't been the one to start a verbal battle with the opposition.
The Afghan pacer made these remarks while speaking on the Lucknow-based franchise's YouTube channel. He also shared a funny incident that happened in a first-class game where a newly married player started sledging as he wanted to finish the match early and head back home.
Answering a question regarding sledging, here's what he said:
"I don't sledge someone upfront, it's not my habit. There's an incident from a first-class game. I was at the non-striker's end and the batsman on strike got sledged. The fielder at silly point was newly married. He said, 'It's the last wicket, let's finish this game quickly. I need to go home and finish some work, I just got married yesterday!'. This was a funny incident."
Notably, Naveen was involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj during LSG's fixture against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing IPL 2023.
Kohli and Naveen's verbal duel continued even when the match ended. Kohli was seen explaining the whole situation to Lucknow's captain KL Rahul. While Rahul tried to diffuse the situation by asking Naveen to have a chat with Kohli, the bowler refused to have a word and walked away instead.
A verbal spat between Naveen-ul-Haq and Virat Kohli.
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It is worth mentioning that LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir was also involved in the drama and was spotted having an animated discussion with Kohli.
In the video, the seamer also shared the piece of advice he received from Gambhir ahead of his IPL debut. Revealing what the former opening batter told him prior to his first match, he said:
"GG bhai (Gautam Gambhir) told me one thing, no need to do anything different, continue to play the way you've always played. So, that was a good piece of advice for me before making my (IPL) debut."
Naveen has featured in five matches this season and has picked up seven wickets at a fantastic economy rate of 6.12.
Naveen-ul-Haq picked Shubman Gill as the batter whose wicket he wishes to take in IPL 2023
Naveen-ul-Haq also expressed his desire to dismiss Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill in the tournament. He highlighted how the right-handed batter has shown tremendous form in the tournament.
On being asked the name of the batter that he wishes to dismiss in IPL 2023, the 23-year-old pacer answered:
"Shubman Gill, because of the way he has been playing for the last few years and, with the kind of form that he is in this IPL."
LSG have five wins and as many losses to their name from 11 games. Their match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ended without a result due to rain, and both sides shared a point each.
IPL 2023 Points Table 🏏
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With 11 points in their tally, they are currently placed fifth in the standings. LSG take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an afternoon fixture at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday, May 13.