Kapil Dev has said whatever had happened between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during the IPL 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore was painful to watch and advise BCCI on handling such issues.
RCB recorded a 18-run win over LSG and the big highlight was Virat Kohli’s intense altercation with LSG’s Naveen Ul Haq in the 17th over, and then was once again seen in a war of words with the Afghan pacer when the two teams shook hands after the match.
Then Kyle Mayers had something to say to Kohli about his gesturing after taking Krunal Pandya’s catch before Gambhir pulled the West Indian aside.
Then Kohli and Gambhir had a go at one another, with Gambhir warning the former RCB skipper against saying anything to his players whom the LSG mentor considered his ‘family’. Kohli then replied to Gambhir and told him to keep his ‘family’ at bay.
This was when Amit Mishra and other players from both sides intervened and separated the two of them.
BCCI Have To Groom Players To Be Good Citizens Also: Kapil Dev
According to former India captain Kapil Dev, the match was “painful” to watch and didn’t reflect well on BCCI. The illustrious 1983 World Cup victor counseled BCCI and discussed how to prevent incidents like the unpleasant altercation between Kohli and Gautam.
The veteran made a suggestion that players nowadays have grown “arrogant.” He provided the board with a wealth of knowledge about how to keep the players grounded.
“They (BCCI) have to groom players to be good citizens also. What happened between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli in the IPL, it was painful for me. My two most important people―Virat Kohli, one of the top batters in the world; Gambhir is now member of Parliament―how can they behave in such a manner? But sportsmen do lose their mind, from Pelé to Don Bradman to all people,” he told the WEEK.