Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi have never got along too well and at the root of their clash lies an altercation that took place on the field of play way back in 2007.
What happened between Gambhir and Afridi?
Gambhir and Afridi’s altercation dates back to November 11, 2007 when India and Pakistan had squared off for the third of five ODIs between the two nations. The match was played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
India would go on to win that game after scoring 294/6 in their 50 overs but not before Gambhir and Afridi had not just got into a verbal spat but also physically collided during the course of the encounter.
The incident came in the 20th over of the Indian innings when Gambhir had hit Afridi for a four leading to the two trading verbal jousts. Off the very next delivery, Gambhir set off for a single and with neither player giving way to the other, the duo ended up colliding in the middle of the pitch.
Neither was pleased and went at each other verbally again, coming face to face before umpire Ian Gould got them away.
Both would be fined by the ICC Match Referee Roshan Mahanama for a conduct unbecoming of them and for inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between them. While Gambhir was fined 65% of his match feel, Afridi was forced to part with 95% of his salary.
Things have never been the same between the two again with a regular stream of insults traded between the two off the field as well.
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The two faced off in a match at the Legends League Cricket in 2023 when India took on Asia in an encounter. Gambhir tried to paddle an Abdul Razzaq delivery over fine-leg but was hit on his helmet, prompting Afridi to ask for his well-being. All okay, Gambhir seemed to have responded.
Earlier they had also shaken hands in the lead-up to that encounter.
And it’s not just on the field of play that the two have clashed. They have had their difference of opinion in the media too with the 2023 Asia Cup being a prime example of the same.
India’s league game at the 2023 Asia Cup against Pakistan was rained off and as the players waited for some action, Virat Kohli was seen having a relaxed time with a couple of players from the Pakistani team. It had been no different at the 2017 Champions Trophy as well with Kohli sharing a laugh with the tournament-winner Pakistani side.
Gambhir had opined the friendship between the players should be left to outside of the playing field. He had said:
“Game face hona zaroori hai. Dosti bahaar rehni chahiye. (It is important to have a game face. The friendship can remain outside during the match). There has to be aggression in the eyes of both sets of players. You can be as friendly as you want after those six or seven hours of cricket.”
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When asked for his opinion regarding this, Afridi had objected to Gambhir’s opinion, saying the players were ambassadors of the game and for their country and a message of love and respect was needed to be sent out.
Earlier in August 2023, Afridi was involved in a TV show in Pakistan where he was asked about his relation with Gambhir. He had admitted that Gambhir is cut from a different cloth and the Indian opener’s issues weren’t restricted to Afridi alone but revealed he has had problems with his fellow Indian teammates as well.
Gambhir and Afridi had faced off in another match at the US Masters T10 in August 2023. Afridi had smashed a 12-ball 37 for his New York Warriors but Gambhir’s New Jersey Titans had chased it down in 4.4 overs.
Photo Credit: President’s Secretariat (GODL-India)