The Gambhir-Kohli rivalry has a long history; both players are known for their competitive spirit and occasionally heated exchanges on the field. While having such disputes on the field, players must remember that they are also representing their national team and are responsible for maintaining sportsmanship and fair play.
Reacting to the dispute, former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble’s statement highlights the importance of controlling one’s emotions during conversations, especially when discussing sensitive topics or issues that require serious attention. Kumble emphasizes that while emotions can run high, it’s crucial to maintain composure and have a constructive conversation.
“A lot of emotion goes in, but you don’t want to display those emotions here. This is important you need to have a conversation. But this is unacceptable,” Kumble said on JioCinema.
The incident between Gambhir and Kohli serves as a reminder of the need for players to control their emotions on the field and to maintain respect for the opposition and the game itself. While competitiveness is an essential aspect of cricket, it should never come at the expense of good sportsmanship.
“No matter what, you must respect the opposition and the game. Once a game is over, you must shake hands and tip your hat off, not to the player but to the game because that’s something you need to respect… I don’t know what was spoken, some things may have been personal, and you don’t want that on the cricket field. But with Gautam and Virat and the players involved, it wasn’t the nicest thing to see,” he further added.
BCCI was seen in action regarding the dispute and took big action after these three players had been found guilty of violating the rules of the IPL. Gambhir and Kohli were fined their full match fees, while Naveen-ul-Haq was fined 50 percent of his match fee. That match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2023 was quite controversial. RCB team won that match by 18 runs.