Naveen-ul-Haq has revisited his infamous clash with Virat Kohli during IPL 2023, claiming that it was, in fact, Kohli who started the incident when he caught Naveen’s hand “forcefully” after the match.

In an interview with BBC Pashto, Naveen spoke about the incident which happened after Lucknow Super Giants’ home game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kohli and Naveen had been involved in a heated exchange on the pitch while Naveen was batting, with the Afghanistan player seemingly taking offence to Kohli’s suggestion that the bowler sends some bouncers to the tail-ender.

The altercation spilt into the post-match handshakes when Naveen and Kohli continued their spat before Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir also entered the dispute. In the interview, Naveen said: “He (Kohli) shouldn’t have said all those things during the match and after it. I didn’t start the fight. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat Kohli started the fight.”

“I just want to say one thing I generally don’t sledge anyone, and even if I do it I would say it to the batters only when I am bowling because I am a bowler. In that match, I didn’t utter a single word. I didn’t sledge anyone.

“Players who were there, they know how I dealt with the situation. I never lost my temper, when I was batting or after the match. What I did after the match can be seen by everyone. I was just shaking hands and then he (Kohli) caught my hand forcefully and I am also a human being and I reacted”

All three of Kohli, Naveen and Gambhir were fined after the altercation. Kohli was fined his whole match fee while Naveen was only fined half of his.

“When you will look at the fines you will understand who started the fight,” said Naveen. “If someone is saying something to me I won’t back off. I have had it since I started playing the U-16 for Afghanistan. I never badmouth anyone but if anyone does that to me I don’t stay silent. I give it back. You can call it wrong but that’s how it is.

“Be it a young player from the opposition or a senior team member, be it in a club match, playing for Afghanistan, or in the IPL, I play the cricket match with the same intensity and I would back off when someone says something to me.”

Naveen has been in several on-field spats with high-profile players before. In 2020 he had disputes with both Mohammad Amir and Shahid Afridi in the Lanka Premier League.

“Honestly speaking, if I would be in such situations again, I would not back off. My reaction would be the same,” he added.