It’s nearly impossible to match Virat Kohli’s fan following in India. But, Naveen-ul-Haq keeps trying to challenge it. The Afghanistan bowler earlier had a clash with King Kohli, which also involved former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir.
In a thrilling encounter at the hallowed grounds of Kolkata, the crowd at Eden Gardens witnessed an exceptional display of batting prowess from Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) opener, Jason Roy. The excitement reached a crescendo as he launched a blistering assault on Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) bowler, Naveen-ul-Haq, in the second over of the chase.
Roy’s onslaught began with a stylish boundary, as he confidently danced down the track to connect with a well-timed shot through mid-on. The crowd, caught up in the fervour of the moment, erupted in resounding chants of “Kohli”. The echoes reverberated throughout the stadium, even surpassing the earlier teasing faced by LSG in Hyderabad and Lucknow.
Opportunity came knocking for Naveen to respond to the passionate Eden Gardens crowd. In the 14th over, Yash Thakur’s clever bowling lured Rahmanullah Gurbaz into a misjudged shot, resulting in a sky-high catch. Ravi Bishnoi, stationed at backward point, held onto the ball after a couple of fumbles, and the jubilant Naveen raced towards him to share in the triumph.
In a gesture reminiscent of Gautam Gambhir’s famous shushing act at the Chinnaswamy Stadium last month, Naveen turned towards the crowd and replicated the action, silencing the “Kohli” chants.
Naveen showcased his skills with some exceptional deliveries in the 15th and 17th overs, restricting the flow of runs to a mere six and five respectively. However, the final over proved to be a tough one for the bowler, as Rinku Singh unleashed an onslaught, smashing him for a substantial 20 runs.
Naveen earlier took to his Instagram account to share a cryptic message seemingly directed towards Virat Kohli. The post, which read “you get what you deserve”, emerged following an incident during the intense clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and LSG in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match held in Lucknow.
Kohli, the RCB captain, was penalised with a complete forfeiture of his match fee due to an apparent exchange of words with Gambhir, his counterpart from LSG, on the field. The incident caused a stir among cricket enthusiasts and prompted Naveen’s intriguing social media post.
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