'You need to be careful, it's like you are flagged off': Ravi Shastri warns Virat Kohli following his on-field spats in IPL 2023

Former Team India coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that Virat Kohli must act maturely, keeping in mind his on-field altercations with Gautam Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly in IPL 2023. Shastri gave an ultimatum to Kohli by citing the examples of MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, highlighting their ability to handle the situation well.

Virat Kohli's on-field spats captures spotlight:

Kohli had launched not one but two staredowns at Ganguly during the Chinnaswamy duel between RCB and DC on April 15. Later, Ganguly skipped the line after the game to avoid a handshake with Kohli. The two later unfollowed one other on Instagram, indicating a rift between the two Indian cricket legends.

Later on May 1, Kohli had entered into a heated conversation with Gambhir at the Ekana Stadium after RCB's 18-run win against LSG. During that same match, there was a flashpoint between Kohli and LSG's Naveen-ul-Haq as well which as followed by an intense handshake after the end of the match which required Glenn Maxwell to step in.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Shastri highlighted that Kohli must take a leaf out of Tendulkar and Dhoni on handling such situations.

"After the sequence of events last week, someone like a Kohli, someone like a Dhoni...Dhoni knows, he's a pro, that there is a camera on you and that is because you guys deserve it after what you guys contributed to the game. There will a camera on you, like there was on Sachin Tendulkar. Remember once the game is over, the camera is on you all the time until you get into that dressing room. You need to be careful, it's like you are flagged off. If you have that in your mindset...camera, and once the game is over, you will be fine. You can get a lot of brownie points using that camera."

Kohli will be in action on Tuesday against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.