Last Updated: May 18, 2023, 4:37 PM IST
Virat Kohli (left) and Gautam Gambhir were heavily fined following the incident. (Pic Credit: Sportzpics)
One of the abiding memories of IPL 2023 will be Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir exchanging words during what was a heated argument
One time India team-mates and 2011 ODI World cup winners Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir haven’t been the best of friends and it’s quite evident. The two have clashed multiple times on the field, most famously in IPL with the most recent of those incidents coming after the conclusion of a tense contest between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this month.
Gambhir and Kohli are known for their on-field aggression and the visuals of the duo exchanging words while surrounded by team-mates, coaches and match officials were widely shared across social media and it resulted in BCCI punishing the duo with heavy fines.
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Former India head coach Ravi Shastri thinks that a little bit of confrontation is acceptable provided it doesn’t cross the line and if it does, then the match referee can deal with it appropriately.
“You need a little bit of confrontation on the field. Where you draw the line, the match referee is there to see the line. When you’re fined, once or twice you will be ok,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo.
There’s an argument that players of the stature of Kohli and Gambhir indulging in such behaviour sends a wrong message to the upcoming generation and that the visuals of their heated exchange shouldn’t have telecast.
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Shastri though thinks that by showing the incident live, the parties involved will be able to judge their behaviour better.
“A lot of people told me, this is IPL. This is a live telecast. Why were they showing two players fighting. Ok, fair point. Because the world saw it. Now, I will tell you the positive in that,” Shastri said.
“By seeing that, both the players will behave differently the next time. Because they will know there is a camera on them all the time. Then they will do the right thing for the massive audience that is watching. Kids, parents, friends. You then know what is the line. Have I used abusive language? Was my body language not right? Was that in the spirit of the game? Did I come across as a bad loser? All these things immediately come to the fore once you watch that footage and then you learn. If you don’t learn then another fine will be around the corner or a suspension,” he added.
