Afghanistan's cricketer Naveen ul Haq has opened up about his on-field conversation with Virat Kohli during their 2023 World Cup league encounter in New Delhi. He recalled that following their embrace during the game, Kohli had promised him that the Afghan would not face abuse for his Indian name from the local supporters at the stadia.


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Kohli who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Naveen-ul-Haq who plays for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a heated argument during the 2023 season. Their spat went viral after the duo were engaged in a couple of heated exchange of words. (Cricket World Cup 2023: Pat Cummins Plays Down On Pitch Controversy Ahead Of Final Vs India, Says,' It's Same For Both Teams')


"He said, 'finish it?', I said, 'Yes, let's finish it' so we we laughed about it, we hugged and we moved on. He said, 'Now after this, you won't hear my name' or something he said [and that], 'You'll only get support from the crowd'. I said yeah (smiles)," Naveen a said in a video shared by LSG.


Watch the video here:



They grinned and hugged each other during the Indian team's batting innings during the World Cup match in Delhi. After that, the heckling did not quite stop, but it did lessen for the Afghan in the ensuing games. (Mayanti Langer Replies To Trolls Who Mocked Her Over Outfit During World Cup 2023 Coverage, Says 'Can Afford A Full Suit')


 


Coming to the World Cup, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar arrived in Ahmedabad on Saturday to witness the final of the ongoing edition between the hosts and Australia.


The World Cup final will be hosted in the biggest cricketing arena in the world - the Narendra Modi Stadium, on Sunday. Manjrekar arrived at the Ahmedabad airport and was quizzed about his opinion on the highly anticipated final to which he replied "Indian team is the best team."


Earlier in the day, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, under whose leadership the 'Men In Blue' reached the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa, arrived in Ahmedabad on Saturday to watch the final.


Ganguly said his money was riding on India to clinch its third World Cup title.


"India is looking smashing at the moment. I wish them all the best for Ahmedabad. India have played very well in the tournament, and just one match and Australia stand between them and the World Cup trophy. If India continue to play like how they have performed in the tournament so far, then it will be tough to stop them. It will be a good match as Australia have a good team as well" Sourav Ganguly told reporters.


This match will present the hosts an opportunity to avenge their losses to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final and also the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) earlier this year.


India stormed into the finals after registering a comprehensive 70-run victory over New Zealand on Wednesday. After Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's explosive start, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer scored a ton each to put India on course to a massive target.


KL Rahul arrived to apply the finishing touches to power India to a score of 397/4. Mohammed Shami's spell saw him clinch a seven-wicket haul to derail the Kiwis and seal India's trip to Ahmedabad.


In the second semifinal, South Africa made Australia sweat in their chase of a humble target of 213 on a spiteful surface at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The five-time champions slipped in its chase but recovered just in time to scrape past the Proteas. Australia skipper Pat Cummins and speedster Mitchell Starc held their nerves to take the hosts to a three-wicket win.