Virat Kohli vs Naveen-ul-Haq 2.0 sparks up again as the pacer makes a comeback in Afghanistan World Cup squad
Virat Kohli, representing RCB, and Naveen ul Haq, playing for LSG, engaged in a heated verbal exchange during the IPL 2023.
The highly anticipated clash between Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq 2.0 is set to be reignited in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. These two players had an intense altercation during the IPL 2023, which left fans eagerly awaiting their next encounter. Unfortunately, their rivalry did not come to fruition in the Asia Cup as Naveen was not selected for the tournament. However, Afghanistan has recently announced their 15-member squad for the World Cup, and Naveen has made a comeback to the Afghan side.
Naveen Ul Haq faced disappointment when he failed to secure a spot in the 17-member squad for the Asia Cup. Additionally, since Afghanistan and India were placed in the same group, the two teams did not have the opportunity to face each other. Following his exclusion from the squad, Naveen took to social media to share a cryptic message, leaving fans speculating about his future.
However, on September 13th, Afghanistan revealed their World Cup 2023 squad, and to everyone's surprise, Naveen was included in the 15-member team. This announcement has once again ignited the fiery rivalry between Naveen and Virat Kohli. The clash between India and Afghanistan is scheduled for October 11th in Delhi during the ICC World Cup 2023, and it is expected to be a thrilling showdown filled with sparks and excitement.
Virat Kohli, representing RCB, and Naveen ul Haq, playing for LSG, engaged in a heated verbal exchange during the IPL 2023. The altercation was eventually diffused by the intervention of fellow players, but the animosity between the two persisted as they resorted to trading taunts on social media.
“He (Kohli) shouldn’t have said all those things during the match and after it. I didn’t start the fight. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat Kohli started the fight. I just want to say one thing I generally don’t sledge anyone, and even if I do it I would say it to the batters only when I am bowling because I am a bowler. In that match, I didn’t utter a single word. I didn’t sledge anyone,” Naveen told BBC Pashto after the match.
All-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Sharafuddin Ashraf, who were part of Afghanistan's Asia Cup squad, have been named as reserves, along with Fareed Ahmad, who was also part of the series against Pakistan.
Unfortunately, Karim Janat and Mohammad Saleem, both players from the Asia Cup, have been dropped altogether from Afghanistan's World Cup squad.
Afghanistan's World Cup campaign will kick off on October 7 against Bangladesh in Dharamsala. Prior to that, they have two warm-up fixtures scheduled. The first one will be against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram on September 29, followed by a match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on October 3.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil,Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-Ul-Haq
Reserves: Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fareed Ahmad