Former India spinner Amit Mishra has made shocking revelations about the behaviour of star batter Virat Kohli, especially towards youngsters.
Mishra, who played for India across formats from 2003 to 2017, opened up about Kohli’s infamous on-field fight with Afghanistan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
The fight escalated, prompting intervention from current India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who was the mentor of LSG back then.
The former leg-spinner, who was also part of the LSG, blamed Virat Kohli for starting the fight by abusing the opposition players.
“It all started in Bengaluru where we (LSG) won the game and [Gautam] Gambhir expressed his aggression. The public was going mad so Gautam gestured them to keep quiet. Probably Virat Kohli didn’t like that,” said Mishra while speaking to a YouTube show.
“We thought the matter ended with the game but not for Kohli. He started abusing our players [in the LSG vs RCB rematch in Lucknow].”
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
The 41-year-old revealed that he tried to calm Kohli when he was abusing Naveen-ul-Haq, reminding him of his stature, but the batter did not listen.
“Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling, he would abuse him too. He could have avoided that but he chose not to,” he added.
“I was batting with Naveen, I asked Kohli, ‘Who are you even talking to He’s just a youngster and not even close to your stature. Whatever happened has happened.’ He answered back, saying you make him understand, not me.”
Mishra defended Gambhir for his intervention, which further heated the situation, as Kohli was continuously throwing verbal abuses towards Naveen after winning the match.
“But the problem began after the game. He [Kohli] started abusing him [Naveen] again during the customary handshakes. That’s when Gambhir intervened, questioning why you are starting it again when the game had ended, and you guys had won,” he said.
The leg-spinner then praised Indian legends Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni for being respectful towards junior players.
“Why do people still respect Sachin Tendulkar or MS Dhoni? It is because they respect and love the junior players. You can be aggressive, but this is not done,” he concluded.