"I have moved on": Gautam Gambhir opens up on his spat with Shahid Afridi

In an interview during the 'ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash', Gambhir talked about how the media highlights his spat with Shahid Afridi before every 'India versus Pakistan' match.

"When there's a match between India and Pakistan, why do they always show my fight with Shahid Afridi, there are so many other fights that have happened. Show something positive, show when India has won the Asia Cup against Pakistan," Gambhir said.

India won their maiden Asia Cup title after they defeated Pakistan by 54 runs in 1984 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to win the tournament.

Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi have had on-field rivalry. In 2007, the two had an angry verbal spat during the Kanpur one-day international.

The duo had an argument after a boundary in the 20th over. In the second ball, Gambhir was running for a single when Afridi came in the way. Following this, the two were involved in a heated exchange and on-field umpires had to cool them down.

But in 2023 Legends League Cricket, after Gambhir was hit during batting, Afridi checked on him and asked if he was okay. Gambhir captained India Maharajas, while Afridi led Asia Lions in the tournament.

"If you don't have to move on, then absolutely fine with it, because I have moved on a long back. How can I control what a broadcaster wants to show? This is not in my hands. What is in my hands is to win all the games, be passionate about it and be accountable, true to the franchise or team that I am representing," Gambhir said.

Gambhir urged the media to highlight the positives of India-Pakistan matches.

"At the end, it's a game of numbers, right? In the end, how much traction you're getting on social media, it's not all about TRP. If you keep showing one thing, then it gets negative. There are many other positive things to show as well, India has defeated Pakistan in many important matches," he said. (ANI)