Virat Kohli – Gautam Gambhir IPL: Former Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary has spoken highly of Virat Kohli’s fiery on-field persona and has shared the story of Kohli’s most famous argument with Gautam Gambhir at the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) match where Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team played against Delhi Daredevils. Though Chaudhary applauded Kohli for being intense and passionate, he also pointed out that showing aggression is part of the cricket game, so long as it is not over the top.
Anil Chaudhary Recalls Officiating in Young Virat Kohli’s Matches
Talking on JioHotstar, Chaudhary, who has been officiating Kohli’s matches right from his junior cricket days in Delhi, explained that although the captain (as at that time) of India was usually an emotional player, he never had any ill motives in his actions on the field.
“Actually, my advantage with Virat was that I had officiated his matches since childhood, so I have known him for a long time. He doesn’t have any malice. He reacts aggressively sometimes, but if you’re right, he’ll give you a thumbs up too. Between overs, he’ll come over and put a hand around your waist. But he is lively throughout. Players like him should be there; otherwise, the game will get boring,” he added.
Virat Kohli – Gautam Gambhir Fight in IPL 2013
At M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the game was an IPL 2013 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in which Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir were in an on-field clash. The issue got going when Kohli was out for 35 by Balaji in a chase of 155. Instead of immediately heading to the pavilion, Kohli was having a chat near the bowler. That drew Gambhir over too, who ended up having a confrontation with Kohli. They were both captain and this made their clash even more of a tense showdown, and it took KKR’s Rajat Bhatia to step in after that and to part them off to avoid any more escalation.
Recalling the incident, Chaudhary said, “I knew something like that would happen because all of them from the North play with aggression. I have played local cricket too, and our players have always played like this. If they don’t play with that aggression, their performances won’t come out as well. The flavour of the game won’t be there if you put too many restrictions on the players. But there’s a limit, and it shouldn’t be crossed.”
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