Due to several on-field exchanges between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly during the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 15, there was controversy around the game. In the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, RCB defeated DC by 23 runs, handing them their sixth straight loss in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ricky Ponting, the DC coach and a former Australian cricketer, was greeted by Kohli after RCB’s victory. Before the DC head coach stopped him for a brief talk, he disregarded Ganguly. Ganguly continued to greet the other RCB players while ignoring the RCB batter. Notably, it was reported that the former RCB captain unfollowed the former Indian captain on Instagram following the altercation. Moreover, Ganguly followed suit on the social media website.
On the other hand, Shane Watson, a former all-rounder for Australia who is currently the assistant coach of the DC team, was questioned about the situation between the two cricketers on the podcast “The Grade Cricketer.” Watson refrained from providing more specifics but said that Kohli seemed to have “heat in his gut.” He added that he is unsure of the precise reason for the incident that happened after the competition.
Shane Watson said
“It could be rumour-mongering, but I’m not sure. So, it’s not something I want to get involved in. But there was definitely some fire in Virat’s belly, that’s for sure. From an opposition point of view, that’s the last thing you need as well. Virat, when he’s like that, that’s when he’s at his absolute best. Whatever reason that was, I’m not exactly sure,” Watson said.
Incidentally, the apparent conflict between the two Indian cricketers began when Sourav Ganguly was president of the BCCI and Kohli served as captain of the national team. The resignation of Kohli as India’s T20I captain seems to irk Ganguly and former top selector Chetan Sharma. The 34-year-old batter was then relieved of his duties as ODI captain, and a month later, he also resigned as Test captain.
Meanwhile, RCB are facing the Punjab Kings today on 20th April. Virat Kohli will be captaining the side with Faf Du Plessis playing as an impact player. Faf picked up an injury in the last match while fielding.
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