‘Done once and for all’: Amid Amit Mishra’s claim, Naveen-ul-Haq responds to questions over feud with Virat Kohli

Amit Mishra raised eyebrows when he addressed the controversy that erupted after a heads-on-field exchange between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq during IPL 2023. The incident took place during Lucknow Super Giants’ home match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and resulted in Gautam Gambhir having a word with Kohli after the match.

Gambhir and Kohli stormed at each other angrily, forcing players from both teams and the match officials to intervene.

A year after the controversy, Mishra claimed in a podcast that Naveen would never respect Kohli as much as he used to because of the way the Indian batsman conducted himself.

“Before social media, it seemed like it was all over between them. But do you think Naveen will ever respect Kohli again? And what about the youngsters who saw the incident where a big star abused others,” Mishra said.

Now, Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Texas Super Kings has shared a video in which Naveen reiterates that both he and Kohli have moved on with their lives and whatever happened, happened in the ‘heat of the moment’.

“I don’t remember but I have been asked many times now and I have made it clear,” said a laughing Naveen. “It was in the heat of the moment. He was representing his franchise and I was representing mine. That’s what I do. Whether it’s for my country or my franchise, I won’t back down.”

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“At the end of the day, we are all friends. Some of us are colleagues and we just polish it up. It is nothing personal that would last off the field. But yes, social media keeps it going until something comes out of it. In the ODI World Cup, it was over once and for all,” he added.

During the 2023 ODI World Cup, when India played Afghanistan, Kohli signaled the crowd in Delhi to stop teasing Naveen. Later, the two embraced, ending the feud.

“At the end of the day, we are all friends. Some of us are colleagues and we just polish it up. It is nothing personal that would last off the field. But yes, social media keeps it going until something comes out of it. In the ODI World Cup, it was over once and for all,” he added.

During the 2023 ODI World Cup, when India played Afghanistan, Kohli signaled the crowd in Delhi to stop teasing Naveen. Later, the two embraced, ending the feud.