"No one can come and walk over my players"- Gautam Gambhir on his tussle with Virat Kohli over Naveen-ul-Haq during IPL 2023
India great and former Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor, Gautam Gambhir has often been in the headlines for his blunt takes as a pundit. He has played his cricket passionately, wearing his heart on his sleeves and has often had some heated arguments on the field.
He had one such on-field spat with star Indian batter Virat Kohli just after the IPL 2023 encounter between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Lucknow.
While Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq had a go at each other several times during the game, Gautam Gambhir explained why he intervened after the game as the two players argued again while shaking hands. Here's what Gambhir told ANI:
"As a mentor, no one can come and walk over my players. I have got a very different belief. Till the time the game was on, I had no right to interfere but once the game was over if someone still gets into a heated argument with my players, I have all the right to defend them."
Gautam Gambhir recently had a heated argument with Sreesanth
Gautam Gambhir also had a heated exchange of words with former Indian teammate and fast bowler S Sreesanth during the Legends League Cricket (LLC) encounter between India Capitals and Gujarat Giants.
The LLC Code of Conduct and Ethics Committee considers this as a breach of the rules and Syed Kirmani, head of the committee, has claimed that there will be a proper investigation on the potential of pressing any charges. Here's what he said in an official statement:
"Legends League Cricket strives to uphold the spirit of cricket and sportsmanship and will conduct an internal investigation on the violation of the code of conduct. Any misconduct that has occurred both on and off the field including on social media platforms will be dealt with strictly. The code of conduct has clearly states that necessary action will be taken against players that bring disrepute to the league, the spirit of the game and the teams that they are representing. We make our stand very clear and continue to work towards sharing the game with millions of cricketing lovers across the nation and world."
Sreesanth continued his war of words against Gambhir on social media, while the latter has so far not openly commented on the topic.