[Watch] Virat Kohli & Naveen-ul-Haq embrace each other as fans go crazy during IND vs AFG 2023 World Cup match
Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq embraced each other on the field during the second innings of the 2023 World Cup match between India and Afghanistan on Wednesday (October 11) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
It was an endearing moment to witness for the fans at the stadium and the live viewers on television. The two players were involved in a heated verbal exchange during the IPL 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on May 1 earlier this year.
Naveen-ul-Haq has been at the receiving end of loud Virat Kohli chants from the fans since then whenever he has played in India. Even during the ongoing World Cup, fans in the stadium have been sledging him mercilessly.
The Delhi crowd also did the same when Naveen came to bat in the first innings today and when he was bowling or fielding in the second innings. It all came to a halt around the 26th over in the chase when Naveen-ul-Haq and Virat Kohli embraced each other and sported a hearty smile.
You can watch the moment in the video below:
"What happened in the ground, that aggression comes to every player" - Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi on IPL spat between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq
When asked to comment on the spat between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq that transpired during IPL 2023, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said that India is like a home to Afghanistan players and downplayed the incident.
"See, as you mentioned before also, like India is our home, it was our home, we played here and the people of India give a lot of love to Afghanistan people," he said at a recent press conference. "And what happened in the ground, that aggression comes to every player, it's not about India and Afghanistan.
"So, it can come to everyone. So, this happened and still like if you see a lot of our players, we have idols from Indian team like Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.”