The rivalry between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir dates back a long time; the two players, who both represented Delhi, have a turbulent past. On Monday, after Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs, it almost seemed as though the world had returned to 2013, when Kohli and Gambhir first squared off in the IPL. However, it turned out that the two legends were actually involved in yet another ugly heated altercation.
Both Virat and Gambhir received 100% of their match costs in fines, while the BCCI also disciplined Naveen-ul-Haq for repeatedly engaging in a furious verbal altercation with Virat Kohli.
However, Sunil Gavaskar, a former Indian legend, believes that these kinds of incidents shouldn't occur repeatedly, which is why he believes that harsh punishment, such as suspension for a few games, should be meted out to the guilty parties.
Gavaskar mentioned the Harbhajan Singh slap gate incident in his interview with Star Sports. The Indian spinner apologized to Sreesanth once again for the incident on Tuesday and urged Kohli and Gambhir to leave the situation in peace.
“Well, I just now seen the visuals; I missed yesterday's contest live. These things are always ugly. What does a 100% match fee entail? What does a 100% match fee really mean? If Kohli is the culprit, he may be paid Rs 17 crore by RCB, which equates to Rs 17 crore for a total of 16 matches, including the semifinals and championship game. You are thus referring to a crore of rupees. Will he receive a fine of at least Rs. 1 crore? That's a very, really hefty fine, Gavaskar added.
“I don't know what Gambhir's circumstances are, but they need to make sure this doesn't happen again. You are hoping that this would not happen again since the fee and penalty are so severe. You should play it hard and aggressively, he said.
“So, my point is, do something that will ensure that these things don't happen again,” the renowned batter said. If necessary, you may have to ask them to maybe take a break for a few games, like it was with Harbhajan and Sreesanth ten years ago. Make sure you take action to prevent these occurrences as well as action that will harm the team. That is a tough one.
