"Why did Kattappa Naveen betray Bahubali Gambhir"- Top 10 funny memes as Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq embrace each other during IND vs AFG clash
Team India stalwart Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq hugged it out and shared a light moment during the 2023 World Cup match between their nations on Wednesday (October 11) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Both the passionate cricketers were at loggerheads and had 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. LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir also got involved and defended Naveen in front of Kohli.
Virat Kohli's fans have been sledging Naveen-ul-Haq ever since then, whenever he has played cricket in India. They did the same during the match on Wednesday as the Delhi crowd targetted Naveen and kept chanting Kohli's name at him.
While he was batting in the second innings, Virat Kohli gestured to the fans, asking them to stop those chants. After a few moments, Naveen and Kohli were seen embracing each other and smiling.
Fans on social media took the opportunity and shared hilarious memes after the duo shared an endearing moment. Here are some of the best memes:
Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli guide India to a comfortable victory
Afghanistan batted first in this contest and posted 272/8 in 50 overs. Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) and Azmatullah Omarzai (62) performed well for the Afghan side in the batting department. Jasprit Bumrah was the wrecker-in-chief for India with four wickets.
In reply, Indian captain Rohit Sharma (131) led his side from the front with a scintillating century. He created history by hitting the seventh hundred in the World Cup, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar's tally of six.
Virat Kohli (55*), Ishan Kishan (47), and Shreyas Iyer (25*) supported their skipper well as India cruised to win in just 35 overs. Rohit reflected on the win at the post-match presentation, saying:
"It was a good win for us. Very important at the start of the tournament that you get that momentum and have that winning streak continue. There will be times you will be put under pressure as a team but it's about absorbing that pressure and taking the right decisions as a team.
He added:
"When you're batting there will be a spell from the opposition where you have to absorb that pressure. And that will happen as we move along. The games we played before the World Cup, we've tried ourselves under pressure and have responded really well to those moments under pressure. That is what makes the team what you want it to be. We've got different skillsets in players who bring a different attitude to the team."
India will next face Pakistan on October 14 in Ahmedabad.