Watch: Naveen-ul-Haq struck a blow in his ongoing battle with Virat Kohli, but not before the India great had played a fast hand in his first T20I innings since the 2022 T20 World Cup final.
With the 2024 T20 World Cup fast approaching, and Tests and ODIs taking precedence in 2023, India have looked to reintegrate Rohit Sharma and Kohli back into the fold in the shortest format. For Rohit, this hasn’t gone to plan: He has made nought off three balls in two innings this series.
Kohli missed the first game for personal reasons, but wasted no time in the second. Entering early after Rohit’s dismissal, he crashed his way to 29 off 16 before chipping to mid-off off Naveen. Still, he had given India a fast start in pursuit of 173, and Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube carried on to lay the platform for victory.
Kohli and Naveen have a long rivalry, involving, strangely, mangoes. Chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ often greeted Naveen during the World Cup, while Naveen had a habit of posting clips and images of Kohli getting out accompanied by mango emojis on social media.
