“Both Players Will Behave Differently The Next Time”- Ravi Shastri on Kohli-Gambhir Banter

RCB star batter Virat Kohli and LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir got involved in a verbal banter during the RCB vs LSG game on May 1. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri reckons that both the players will behave differently the next time as they’ll do the right thing for the massive audience.

Virat Kohli and LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq had a heated exchange during the RCB innings. Things became worse as Gautam Gambhir intervened in the matter after the game and then Kohli had a verbal banter with Gambhir as KL Rahul and Amit Mishra tried calming down the two cricketers.

You need a little bit of confrontation on the field: Ravi Shastri

“You need a little bit of confrontation on the field. Where you draw the line, the match referee is there to see the line. A lot of people told me, ‘this is IPL. This is a live telecast. Why were they showing two players fighting?’ Ok, fair point. Because the world saw it,” Ravi Shastri said on ESPN Cricinfo.

“By seeing that, both the players will behave differently the next time. Because they will know there is a camera on them all the time. Then they will do the right thing for the massive audience that is watching. Kids, parents, friends. You then know what is the line,” the former Indian coach further explained his logic.

Ravi Shastri believes that once the cricketers watch their footage, they certainly start thinking about their on-field behavior. Have I used abusive language? Was my body language not right? Was that in the spirit of the game? Did I come across as a bad loser? All these questions do come across their minds.

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, were fined 100 percent of their match fees following their heated confrontation during the RCB vs LSG clash. Lucknow Super Giants’ young pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has also imposed a 50 percent fine on his fees.

A lot of cricket fans and former cricketers have since then shared their opinion on the verbal banter between Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. The controversy between the two raised question marks on their on-field behavior shown during the game as young cricketers look up to both of them.