30-sec summary
A viral video capturing Gautam Gambhir’s inappropriate gesture to the crowd during the India vs. Nepal match has reignited the already fiery rivalry between him and Virat Kohli. This incident adds a new chapter to their history of altercations. While Gambhir claims the gesture was in response to anti-India slogans, it raises questions about his conduct as a public figure. In this blog, we delve into the facts surrounding this incident and offer our perspective on the matter.
Introduction
In the world of Indian cricket, few rivalries have been as intense and long-lasting as those between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. The recent Asia Cup 2023 match between India and Nepal took an unexpected turn when Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer and BJP Member of Parliament, was captured making an inappropriate gesture to the crowd. This incident has fueled a heated debate on social media and raised questions on sportsmanship and player-fan interactions.
History of Gambhir with Dhoni
Gautam Gambhir allegedly had poor relations with MS Dhoni and, ultimately with Virat Kohli.
As believed by many, Dhoni had a hand behind the removal of Gambhir and Virender Sehwag from the squad. After being dropped, Gambhir and Sehwag never returned under Dhoni’s captaincy. Just two weeks before the release of Dhoni’s biopic, Gambhir tweeted that “he doesn’t believe in biopics on cricketers…”. He was slammed by the majority for his views.
Just two weeks before the release of Dhoni’s biopic, Gambhir tweeted that “he doesn’t believe in biopics on cricketers…”. He was slammed by the majority for his views. Everybody has the right to disagree and share a different perspective respectfully, but people immediately forgot his contribution and started criticizing him.
Gambhir said in an interview that the victory was made all about Kapil Dev, India's captain, in 1983, when they won their maiden World Cup trophy. Similarly, Dhoni is the focus of attention even now when India celebrates its 2007 T20 World Cup win and 2011 ODI World Cup victory.
He said, “It’s unfortunate that when we talk about the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, we don’t take Yuvraj Singh’s name. Why not? It’s only and only marketing and PR and portraying one individual as the biggest and everyone else as smaller than him,” he had said. "We have been told who won us the 2007 and 2011 World Cups [but] it was not one individual it was the entire team. No one individual can win a big tournament. If that were the case, India would’ve had 5-10 World Cups."
In light of this, Dhoni fans immediately pointed out the ‘hypocrisy’ when he made a statement during live commentary during India's Asia Cup match against Pakistan. According to him, the batter who scores the winning run symbolizes victory for a team as a whole.
Gambhir-Kohli Fued
The History
Gambhir and Virat Kohli, both renowned names in Indian cricket, have a history of on-field altercations. Their first major clash occurred in 2013 during an IPL match, where the two of them engaged in a verbal dispute. The feud escalated during IPL 2023 when Gambhir was the mentor of LSG, and Kohli captained RCB, where both players were fined 100% of their match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.
The Asia Cup 2023 Incident
During the Asia Cup 2023 match between India and Nepal, a video has been widely circulated of Gautam Gambhir. He is currently a part of the Asia Cup broadcasting team. While heading back from the field, he was attacked with chants of the name of Virat Kohli by his fans. Gautam made an inappropriate gesture by showing his middle finger to the crowd, which was caught on camera.
Gambhir’s Response to the viral video
Gambhir, who is now a BJP MP and part of the Asia Cup broadcasting team, defended his actions. He claimed that he reacted because some individuals in the stands were chanting anti-India slogans and speaking about Kashmir. He expressed his intense patriotism and stated that he could not tolerate anything against his country. He said, “What is shown on social media has no truth in it because people show whatever they want to show. The truth about the video that went viral is that if you raise anti-India slogans and speak about Kashmir, then the person before you will obviously react and not smile and leave. There were 2-3 Pakistanis there who were speaking anti-India things and things on Kashmir. So, it was my natural reaction. I can't hear anything against my country. So, that was my reaction..."
He also tweeted on this issue: Gambhir also put out a tweet on the issue: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Not everything is as it seems. Any Indian would react how I did to the kind of slogans used against our nation. I love our players; I love my country.”
Another version of the viral Clip of Gambhir showing his finger to Anti-Indian slogans
Another version of the same video clip where Gambhir is seen showing his finger to the crowd chanting Virat Kohli’s name has been circulating on social media soon after Gambhir defended his actions. In this version of the video, we can hear the slogan, “Bharat tere tukde honge. Inshallah.” (India, you will be video into pieces, as per the will of Allah)
Some people started claiming that this was the actual video and the previous one was a doctorate video supporting Gautam Gambhir’s defense.
Which version of the video is a doctorate version?
The video with the slogan, “Bharat tere tukde honge. Inshallah.” is a doctorate video. The slogans are from a protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) that happened in 2016, and you will see similarities in the slogans being called the actual video. So, here, whatever Gambhir said in his defense was not true. There were no anti-national slogans by the crowd, but
Kohli’s name was chanted by fans.
Our Opinion
In our opinion, this incident is very disappointing and should be seen as a cricket battle rather than a political one. Showing this kind of gesture on an international occasion like this reflects on you and your country because you’re representing your country there. While Gambhir is a BJP MP, he receives support from his party's followers, but this matter transcends politics. On cricket field, respect for legends like Virat Kohli should always prevail. Kohli's contributions to Indian cricket are undeniable, and his legacy should be honored. We should always stand for what is right and respect the legends who have contributed to Indian cricket's glory. We should support what is right and condemn the wrong. In the end, it's the love for the game that truly matters.
