Kohli vs Gambhir: On Monday, May 1, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir were involved in a heated argument after the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Ekana Stadium. Videos of the altercation quickly spread on social media, and the players even took their feud to Instagram. The BCCI imposed hefty fines on both players for violating the IPL Code of Conduct. Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar questioned wether fine alone is sufficient to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Follow Indian Premier League 2023 Live Updates with Insidesport.IN
Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq had a flashpoint during the fag end of the match, and umpires along with Amit Mishra had to intervene. Later, Kohli engaged in a heated conversation with Gambhir during a post-match altercation before their teammates separated them.
The BCCI was quick to take action, penalizing both players by charging them their entire match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. However, Sunil Gavaskar, one of India’s greatest cricketers, has called for stricter measures to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future.
Sunil Gavaskar reacts to Feud of Kohli vs Gambhir
In an interview with Star Sports, Gavaskar questioned whether the fines were enough to guarantee that such incidents would never happen again. “What is a 100 per cent match fee? If it is Kohli, who is on maybe ₹17 crore for RCB, which means ₹17 crore for a possible 16 matches, including the semi-finals, and finals. So you are talking about a crore of rupees. Is he going to be fined ₹1 crore and more? Well, that’s a very, very stiff fine,” Gavaskar said.
He went on to suggest that suspending the players for a few matches would be a more effective deterrent. “Do something which will make sure these things don’t happen again. If it has to happen like it did with Harbhajan and Sreesanth 10 years ago, that you have to ask them to maybe step aside for a couple of matches. Make sure you do something that ensures that these things don’t happen and also something that will hurt the team,” he added.
Gavaskar’s call for stricter measures comes at a time when cricket authorities around the world are grappling with the issue of player behavior. The increasing focus on television coverage and social media has brought greater scrutiny to the sport, and players are under greater pressure than ever before to perform and win.
While the IPL has brought many exciting moments for cricket fans, it is incidents like these that tarnish the image of the sport. As Gavaskar rightly points out, the authorities need to take a more proactive approach to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
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