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In the fast-paced world of sports, emotions often run high, tensions flare and athletes sometimes find themselves in situations where they must respond to provocation. Something similar happened with India’s former cricketer Gautam Gambhir, and a video of him also went viral on social media, where he seemingly made a middle-finger gesture towards spectators during the Asia Cup 2023.
Gautam Gambhir’s obscene gesture towards fans
Gambhir is no stranger to controversy or fiery on-field behaviour during his playing days. His passion for the game and love for his country have always been evident. However, the middle finger incident that unfolded during the Asia Cup 2023 has raised many eyebrows.
In the video, fans can be heard chanting “Kohli… Kohli” in support of former Indian captain Virat Kohli, to which Gambhir reacts by making an obscene middle finger gesture. The incident immediately sparked discussions and debates among cricket fans and the media.
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Gautam Gambhir’s clarification
Gambhir wasted no time in addressing the incident after the clip went viral and provided context to his actions. He asserted that the viral video didn’t tell the complete story and that he wasn’t reacting to the Kohli chants as it might have appeared. Instead, Gambhir explained that he reacted to anti-India slogans raised by a few Pakistan supporters in the stands.
“Whatever is shown on social media is not always the true picture, as people can show whatever they want to. In the viral video, the truth is that when you raise anti-India slogans and chant bad things about my country, India, and say bad things about Kashmir, then anyone will react like this only, and he will not just laugh and ignore these things.” Gambhir told the press.
WELL DONE 👏👏 Gautam Gambhir Showed Middle Finger to Pakistanis who were raising Anti India Slogans 👏👏#GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/xkhCndY3q6
— Rosy (@rose_k01) September 4, 2023
Gautam Gambhir issues a statement on social media
Gautam Gambhir also took to X (previously Twitter) to further clarify his stance on the incident and wrote, “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Not everything is as it seems. Any Indian would react how I did to the kind of slogans used against our nation. I love our players & I love my country.”
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes”.
Not everything is as it seems. Any Indian would react how I did to the kind of slogans used against our nation. I love our players & I love my country. 🇮🇳🇮🇳
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) September 4, 2023
