Former international umpire Anil Chaudhary, reflecting on the most talked-about heated confrontation between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in the IPL 2013, believes that such episodes are part of the competitive spirit of sport when they remain within acceptable boundaries. Chaudhary also touched upon the aggressive gestures and emotional reactions of Kohli, saying that there is no ill intent behind the Indian batter's actions.
“Actually, my advantage with Virat was that I had officiated his matches since childhood, so I have known him for a long time. He doesn't have any malice. He reacts aggressively sometimes, but if you're right, he'll give you a thumbs up too," Chaudhary said on JioStar show.
"Between overs, he'll come over and put a hand around your waist. But he is lively throughout. Players like him should be there, otherwise, the game will get boring," he said.
Chaudhary stressed that players from northern India have traditionally aggression on the field, noting that this contributes additional energy and emotion to matches. However, he stressed that aggression should always remain within limits.
“I knew something like that would happen because all of them from the North play with aggression. I have played local cricket too, and our players have always played like this. If they don't play with that aggression, their performances won't come out as well. The flavour of the game won't be there if you put too many restrictions on the players. But there's a limit, and it shouldn't be crossed." Chaudhary said.
As for Kohli, he was recently seen in India's ODI series against England, where the team suffered a 2-1 defeat. Nonetheless, Kohli was among the runs, scoring 144 across the three matches