The recent altercation between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli has been deemed by many as a typical Delhi incident and one that was inevitable. Both cricketers are known for their frankness and have had a long-standing animosity towards each other. The altercation occurred after the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants on Monday night, leaving those present with differing opinions on the matter.
Sort your family
While some thought the altercation was childish, others enjoyed the excitement and the intensity of the rivalry. Meanwhile, those who believed in the spirit of the "Gentlemen's Game" felt that the situation could have been avoided altogether. To shed light on the incident, an eyewitness who was present in one of the team dugouts gave a detailed account of what had happened to PTI.
"You saw on TV that Mayers and Virat were walking side by side for a few metres post match. Mayers asked Kohli why he was he constantly abusing them, and Virat, in turn, questioned why was he (Mayers) 'staring' at him? Before that, (Amit) Mishra had complained to umpire about Virat constantly abusing Naveen (ul-Haq), who is a No. 10 batter.
"Gautam, sensing that things could turn ugly, pulled Mayers and told him not to have a conversation, when Virat made a comment. The heated exchange that followed seemed a bit juvenile," he said.
"Gautam asked 'Kya bol raha hain bol'(What were you saying?) and Virat replied, 'Maine aapko kuch bola hi naahin, aap kyon ghus rahein ho' (Why are you coming in between when I haven't told you anything).
"Gautam responded, 'Tuney agar mere player ko bola hai, matlab tune meri family ko gaali diya hai. (You abused my player and that's like abusing my family) and Virat's reply was, 'Toh aap apne family ko sambhal ke rakhiye'. (Then you take care of your family).
"Gambhir's final reply before they were separated was, 'Toh ab tu mujhe sikhayega...' (So now I have to learn from you...)." The eyewitness said that while it was tense and a blow away from turning into a free-for-all, it all seemed a bit juvenile at both ends.
History of loggerheads
In 2013, during a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, there was a tense moment that almost led to a physical altercation between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. At that time, Kohli was an up-and-coming superstar, while Gambhir was the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders and had been dropped from the Indian team.
Fast forward to 2023, and both players are still active in the cricketing world. Gambhir is now a fiery TV pundit and also serves as a mentor to a franchise where he wields significant influence as a remote-control skipper. Kohli, on the other hand, continues to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in spirit, even though Faf du Plessis holds the official captaincy on paper.
Despite the passage of time, the tension between Gambhir and Kohli still simmers just below the surface. For those who witnessed the almost physical altercation between the two players in 2013, the recent developments feel like a 'deja vu' moment. With both players still involved in the sport, it remains to be seen whether they will have another showdown on the field or whether their rivalry will remain confined to the sidelines.
