There was a dramatic turnaround in the behaviour of the spectators at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi towards Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen Ul Haq, who was once one of the the most hated foreign players in India due to his fierce rivarly with Virat Kohli.
The booing and mocking turned to cheers and support on Sunday as Naveen produced a brilliant off-cutter to dismiss England captain Jos Buttler during Afghanistan's stunning 69-run win over the defending champions at the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
Naveen castled Buttler in the 18th over to derail England's hopes of chasing down 285 on a slow pitch at the Kotla.
Jeers turn to cheers
The spectators at the stadium erupted in joy as Naveen took the wicket, videos of which are going viral on social media.
Even Naveen took to social media to thank his Indian fans after his team's second World Cup win in history. "Thank you India for your support," Naveen tweeted on X.
This was in stark contrast to what happened four days ago at this same venue when the crowd was mocking Naveen whenever he went towards the boundary line to field against India.
He was booed even when he came in to bat in the first innings and was constantly getting taunted with chants of 'Kohli, Kohli'.
Kohli and Naveen bury the hatchet
Virat Kohli himself had to step in and ask the crowd to stop mocking Naveen. The two ended their bitter fued after that and hugged each other.
Kohli and Naveen's rivarly started in the Indian Premier League this year during a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants.
