Gautam Gambhir, the 2011 ODI World Cup winner, opened up about his heated conversation with Shahid Afridi and said that he has moved to the back for a long time. In an interview during the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Gambhir talked about how the media always showed his fight with Shahid Afridi before every match in ‘India vs Pakistan’. The former player also asked them to show something positive like the Men in Blue beating the Men in Green in the Asian Cup final.
“When there is a match between India and Pakistan, why do they always show my fight with Shahid Afridi, there are so many other fights that happened. Show something positive. Show when India won the Asia Cup against Pakistan,” Gambhir said.
In 1984, India won their first Asia Cup title after defeating Pakistan by 54 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to win the tournament.
Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi have a history of rivalry on the field. In 2009, the two had an argument during an ODI match in Kanpur.
In 2023, they renewed their rivalry in the inaugural match of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) tournament. Gambhir captained the Maharajas of India, while Afridi captained the Asia Lions. During the match, Gambhir was injured while batting. Afridi checked on Gambhir and asked him if he was okay.
The two moments spread on social media. Gambhir and Afridi also had a war of words. “Afridi has aged, he is still 16 mentally,” Gambhir once said.
Gambhir also criticized the media for always running after numbers. He added that everything is not related to the Transnational Radical Party.
“At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game, right? In the end, how much traction do you get on social media, it’s not just about TRP. If you keep showing one thing, it becomes negative. There are many other positive things,” he added. “Things also need to be shown, India have defeated Pakistan in many important matches.”
Speaking about his altercation with Afridi, the 42-year-old said he has moved on from it with a long back and if they want to stick with it, the former player is completely fine with it.
Gambhir added that he cannot control the broadcaster, what he can do is win all the matches and be passionate about his team or franchise.
“If you don’t have to go forward that’s totally fine, because I moved with a long back. How can I control what the announcer wants to show, that’s not in my hands. What’s in my hands is to win.” “All the gaming and being passionate about it and being responsible for the franchise or team that I represent,” he concluded.
In a 2007 ODI match between India and Pakistan, the duo was involved in a fight after a boundary in the 20th over. On the second ball, Gambhir was running for one when Afridi came in the way. After that, the two engaged in a heated exchange but later the on-field umpires had to cool them down.
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