When Gautam Gambhir opened up about his infamous spat with Virat Kohli after an IPL match between RCB and LSG in 2023.
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00:00Someone who has got more social media followers doesn't have any right to walk over someone.
00:04No one is out there to take abuses.
00:07I have all the right to defend my players.
00:09If someone has the right to give an abuse, he should have the courage to take it back as well.
00:30Naveen Ul Haq Controversy, please tell me what happened because you got involved.
00:48Everyone saw the visuals and it was a hot topic.
00:51But can you just clear the air, what happened?
00:54And eventually, I'm sure that things got okay.
00:57But see, I have said it once somewhere, where every individual irrespective of where he comes
01:06from, what level of a cricketer or a sportsman he is, how much social media followers he has,
01:12has the right to play for his team, to play for his jersey and more importantly,
01:20to play for his pride.
01:21And that is something which everyone has every right to.
01:25Or no one is out there to take abuses.
01:30As simple as it can get.
01:32If someone has the right to give an abuse, he should have the courage to take it back as well.
01:39So for me, I think once the game was done and dusted, you're allowed to be as aggressive as
01:44you want to be on the cricket field when the game is on.
01:47Absolutely spot on.
01:49I'm absolutely for it.
01:50Sledging, banter, everything.
01:51Robbers are not playing.
01:52Humans are playing.
01:53They've got emotions.
01:55Everything on the cricket field till you don't cross that line.
02:00You're absolutely fine to be as aggressive, as emotional, as much emotions you want to show.
02:05You have all the right to do it.
02:06But once the game is over, once you've shook hands,
02:09then you have no right to get into a heated argument or a confrontation.
02:14No way.
02:15That is getting personal.
02:17That is something which is not acceptable.
02:19And that is exactly which was not done.
02:22And that is exactly that has happened on that particular day.
02:25Because on the cricket field, you want to win for your team.
02:28You've got all the right to win for your team.
02:31But once the game is over, once you've won or once you've lost the game,
02:35if you then get into an argument or if you get into a sledging or something like that,
02:40then it means you're getting personal.
02:41And once you get personal, then you get personal.
02:43What was the need for you to jump in?
02:45Honestly, it was not about me involving myself.
02:50It was about, as I just mentioned it to you, once the game was over.
02:56And I had, till then it was fine.
02:59But once the game is over, then it was nothing between
03:02I have all the right to defend my players.
03:04As a mentor, no one can come and walk over my players.
03:07And I've got a very different belief.
03:09And I've lived with that belief.
03:11And I will continue to live with that belief that I will never leave anyone alone.
03:15That is how I've lived my life.
03:16And I will continue to live that.
03:18Till the time game was on, I had no right to interfere.
03:22But once the game was over, if someone still gets into a heated argument with my players,
03:27I've got all the right to defend them.
03:28And I will in future also, if something like that happens, I will defend that.
03:32As a franchise, it was important for us to have our own identity.
03:34It was important for us to make sure we tell all the other franchise
03:41that we are there and we mean business.
03:43That no one can come up, come to Lucknow and do whatever he wants to once the game is over.
03:49And we just kept looking at it and kept making those things happen.
03:55We cannot do that.
03:56And your relationship is back on track?
03:58Or is there still sort of unsaid thing?
04:00My relationship with everyone is exactly the same how it was.
04:03I have never taken any fight off the field.
04:06And I will never take it off the field as well.
04:08And this is also social media created that I have certain issues with certain players.
04:15Not at all.
04:15Why should I have?