Shane Watson opens up on Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir’s onfield banter
(Source – Twitter)
Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson also joined in giving his verdict for the on-field between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir after Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs in match number 43 of IPL 2023 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. RCB defended 126 runs successfully to settle scores with LSG after they failed to defend 212 runs against them in their previous encounter at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
However, more than the match, there were talks of the heated banter between Kohli and Gambhir after the match. It all started during the 17th over of LSG’s innings when Kohli was involved in a verbal spat with Naveen-ul-Haq and even showed his shoes to him. After the match ended, LSG mentor Gambhir was involved in a heated conversation with Kohli before the teammates of both decided to separate them.
Watson, who once was a part of RCB under Kohli’s captaincy, doesn’t seemed to be happy with his fight with the former Indian cricketer. The 41-year-old believes that being competitive on field is fine, but once the match is over. He also added that Gambhir is no longer playing and it was difficult for him to understand why he got involved in the first place.
“Being competitive on the field is great, I’m all for that. That’s where people are at their best… it hones their instincts and focusses their mind. But when that boils over off the field, that’s when you got to leave it. On the field, you can have a crack because you’re fighting for survival, trying to win and be at your best. Once the game’s done, the game’s done. Let’s just move on,” Watson said on The Grade Cricketer podcast.
“What happened with Virat and Gautam Gambhir… no one wants to see that boil over. GG’s not even playing!” he added.
Former England coach Michael Vaughan was also surprised to see Gambhir getting involved in the fight. The 48-year-old believes that the supporting and coaching staff should not get in a fight between the players.
“I don’t mind players having small confrontations. It’s just the game. You don’t wanna see it every day but I do not like seeing coaches get involved. I don’t see why the coach or any part of the coaching department is involved in the game. What goes on the field stays on the field. If there is an argument between two players, they need to sort it out. Coaches should be in the dugout or the dressing room looking at strategies,” Vaughan said at the post-match show on Cricbuzz.
