Before the start of IND vs AFG in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11, the crowd once again took the opportunity to mock Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, who was practicing with the team.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the fans can be heard chanting, ‘Kohli, Kohli,’ in an attempt to provoke Naveen.
Watch the video
For those who are not aware, Naveen Ul Haq and Virat Kohli got involved in an ugly spat during the IPL 2023 season earlier this year.
After the on-field clash, Naveen and Kohli took indirect digs at each other through social media posts, further fueling the feud.
I enjoy it: Naveen Ul Haq
In an interview, Naveen-ul-Haq revealed that the chants of ‘Kohli..Kohli’ do not affect him.
“I enjoy it. I like that everybody on the ground is chanting his name or any other player’s name. It gives me passion to play well for my team. I don’t concentrate on the outside noise. I just focus on my own cricket”, Naveen said.
“As professional sportsmen, you have to take it in your stride. One day you will not do your best for the team and these fans are going to give it to you. On another day, you’ll do a special thing for your team and the same people are going to chant your name,” he further added.
Notably, this is not the first time the Afghanistan pacer has been taunted with Kohli chants. Last week, Naveen Ul Haq faced a similar reception at Dharmshala during AFG vs BAN World Cup clash.
Talking about the game, Afghanistan have won the toss and elected to bat first at Arun Jailtley Stadium. Team India have made one change in XI, dropping Ravichandran Ashwin for Shardul Thakur.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
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