A former Indian cricketer and one of the best opening pairings with Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, has encouraged Virat Kohli and Gambhir to act better following their heated spat during an IPL 2023 match. Sehwag has reminded both cricketers of their responsibilities as Indian cricket superstars and how their conduct can influence millions of young fans in the country.
Sehwag was ignorant of what occurred following the match and was taken aback by the pandemonium on social media the following day. He believes that the loser should accept the loss and the victorious team should celebrate, adding that there was no need for Kohli and Gambhir to go on the offensive. He argues that if both players keep their standing in mind, such incidents will be reduced.
“After the game, I turned off the TV.” I had no idea what happened following the match. When I woke up the next morning, I saw a lot of chaos on social media. What happened was wrong. The losing team should quietly accept defeat and move away, while the winning team should rejoice. Why did they need to communicate with each other? One thing I constantly emphasize is that these individuals are national icons. If they do or say anything, millions of kids will follow them and probably think, “If my icon has done this, I will too.” “So, if they keep these things in mind, they will be able to limit such incidents,” Sehwag explained.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) fined both Kohli and Gambhir 100%, but Sehwag believes that harsher measures should be taken to prevent similar events in the future. He feels that if the board decides to penalize players for transgressing the rules, such occurrences will become much less common. The IPL has a history of intense brawls, and Sehwag feels that applying harsher punishment may put a stop to such instances.
“If the BCCI decides to ban someone, such incidents may occur less frequently or not at all.” Such occurrences have occurred previously; therefore, it is best to do anything you want inside the controlled setting of the dressing room. These things don’t seem good from the ground up. My own children can lip-read and understand Ben Stokes perfectly. So that’s when I started to feel bad. “If you’re saying such things, if my children can read it, others can as well, and tomorrow they’ll think, if they (Kohli and Gambhir) can say it, so can I,” he added.
Sehwag highlighted that these occurrences should take place in the controlled environment of the locker room. When players are on the ground, they must act appropriately because their actions are visible to millions of fans. Sehwag even cites his own children as being able to lip-read and comprehend what the players are saying, which is alarming. He believes that if Kohli and Gambhir continue to act badly, others may believe it is acceptable to do the same.
