The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq continues, with fans enthusiastically chanting “Kohli, Kohli” as Naveen-ul-Haq scores against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stepped into the field. ) at the iconic Eden Gardens. This intense rivalry between the two players reached new heights during LSG’s final league game against KKR, enthralling the crowd and a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The incident came to light during the second over of KKR’s innings, when English batsman Jason Roy hit a flurry of boundaries against the Afghan pacer. The crowd, clearly supporting Kohli, ran into the stadium with chants of “Kohli, Kohli”. A video shared by user mufaddal_vohra captured the electrifying atmosphere as fans enthusiastically expressed their support for their cricketing idol.
That roar of “Kohli Kohli” from Eden Gardens when Naveen was bowling, happened in Hyderabad and Chennai. ,
“You get what you deserve, that’s how it should be and that’s how it is.” ~ Naveen Ul Haq pic.twitter.com/lh7SA4RCrxYashvi. (@BreatheKohli) May 20, 2023
Naveen-ul-Haq gestures to the Eden Gardens crowd in silence. pic.twitter.com/8znGrQLT1n
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 20, 2023
In response to thunderous applause, Naveen-ul-Haq put a finger to his lips, signaling silence to the crowd. Despite his attempt to pacify the ruckus, the home crowd of Kolkata Knight Riders continued to chant Kohli undeterred by his gesture.
It is worth noting that this exchange is not the first of its kind. Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir had earlier made a similar gesture during a match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In turn, Virat Kohli responded to Gambhir’s action during a match at the Ekana Sports City Stadium, leading to a heated argument between both the players and Naveen-ul-Haq.
Focusing on the match, Kolkata Knight Riders showed their dominance through flamboyant spells by Vaibhav Arora, Shardul Thakur and Sunil Narine. Their combined efforts restricted Lucknow Super Giants to a total of 176/8 in their IPL encounter at the Eden Gardens.
Nicholas Pooran emerged as the top-scorer for the LSG, showcasing his prowess with a blistering 58 off just 30 balls. Quinton de Kock also made an important contribution of 28 runs. The Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers displayed exceptional form, with Vaibhav, Shardul and Narine taking two wickets each. The decision earlier paid off for KKR as their bowler Harshit Rana dismissed LSG opener Karan Sharma early in the third over.
Vaibhav Arora joined the wicket-taking spree during the seventh over, dismissing the dangerous Marcus Stoinis and Prerak Mankad in quick succession. Veteran spinner Sunil Narine added to the woes of LSG by taking the crucial wicket of his skipper Krunal Pandya for just 9 runs in the 10th over. Varun Chakravarthy soon got into the action, dismissing Quinton de Kock after a well-earned 28. However, Nicholas Pooran rose to the challenge and scored a quick 15 runs in the 11th over, hitting Chakraborty for consecutive fours and a huge six.
Pooran’s aggressive batting kept his team in the game as he fired powerful shots and controlled the scoreboard. He shared a crucial 50-run partnership with Ayush Badoni, providing the much-needed stability. Sunil Narine finally broke the partnership by dismissing Badoni for 25 runs. Pooran brought up his half-century in just 28 balls, showcasing his power with a big six in the 19th over.