10 times when Gautam Gambhir got involved in on-field fights in his cricketing career

Gautam Gambhir has had a successful yet controversial cricketing career.

Legends League Cricket witnessed a rare altercation between two of the former Indian cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Sreesanth. Indian Capitals skipper Gambhir was not pleased with Gujarat Giants pacer Sreesanth’s reaction after being hit for a few boundaries and confronted him after the over. They both were involved in a heated altercation in Surat that led to a massive controversy even after burying things on the ground.

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and Pace bowler Sreesanth have had a controversial playing career. Gambhir had several on-field altercations while in the action on the field. His aggressive nature of play and quick reaction to every situation has led to multiple clashes against a few of his fellow teammates as well as against a few overseas. Let’s have a look at the 10 occasions where Gambhir has taken on a player on the field with words. 

Here are such 10 occasions when Gautam Gambhir had a span on the cricketing field:

1. vs Andre Nel 2005 in Bengaluru 

Andre Nel is also among one of great characters to play in international cricket. Nel was a fierce pace bowler who always loved to go aggressive against batters. Gautam Gambhir was running high on confidence as he scored his maiden ODI ton just 3 innings back. Chasing a modest total of 170 runs in 50 overs, India lost Sachin Tendulkar early. Andre Nel was trying to build pressure but Gambhir was also taking him on. He hook shot for a magnificent boundary that made Nel a bit uncomfortable. After a few deliveries, Gambhir and Nel exchanged a few words forcing umpires to come in between and calm the situation.

2. vs Shahid Afridi 2007 in Kanpur 

Kanpur’s Green Park witnessed a massive war of words between two of the finest international cricketers. India and Pakistan have always been an intense affair and this game witnessed probably the worst use of the words in a fight. While running a quick single, Gambhir collided with Shahid Afridi triggering the Pakistani all-rounder and both of them went on to use the worst choice of words for each other. The crowd also joined Gambhir during the game. 

3. vs Shane Watson 2008 in Delhi 

During the Border-Gavaskar series in 2008, the Australian team decided to charge up Gautam Gambhir throughout his stay in the crease. Shane Watson went a little overboard with the sledging. After exchanging a few words, Watson stuck his elbow out to distract Gambhir while he was taking a run close to the Australian all-rounder. Gambhir took revenge and stuck his elbow in Watson’s ribcage. Both of them were fined for their actions.

4. vs Simon Katich 2008 in Delhi 

After Shane Watson, it was Simon Katich’s turn to take on Gautam Gambhir. The Indian opener scored 206 runs in his innings and Australia’s plan failed miserably. Gambhir and Katich collided with each other while taking a run. It looked like a deliberate attempt as Katich was trying to stop Gambhir from running the second. Later on, these two turned up against each other and had a heated argument where umpires had to intervene to stop the tussle. 

5. vs Karman Akmal 2010 in Dambulla 

Gautam Gambhir’s love and affection for Pakistan is not hidden. After Shahid Afridi, it was Kamran Akmal’s turn. Gautam Gambhir was not pleased with one of the animated appeals by the Pakistani wicket-keeper in a crucial Asia Cup encounter. Gambhir went on to have a spat with Kamran Akmal during the drinks break which led to a confrontation between the two key figures in the game. Yet another time umpires came in to calm the situation. 

6. vs Virat Kohli 2013 in Bengaluru 

It was the first of a kind to witness Indian superstars sharing the dressing room and going against each other aggressively on the field. During a match in the IPL 2013, Virat Kohli was triggered by Gautam Gambhir’s over-aggressive celebration of his wicket. RCB skipper Virat Kohli was walking back to the dressing room but he turned towards KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir and then they both fired a few words against each other. Rajat Bhatia came in between the players to stop the fight. 

7. vs Mohammad Irfan 2013 in Kolkata:

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir had a troubled time against tall Pakistani pacer Mohammad Irfan. Left-arm pacer got out Gautam twice in the series and Gambhir had a tough time facing Mohammad Irfan in the three-match ODI series. A dominant Irfan also used sledging as a weapon in that series against Gautam Gambhir. Later on, Irfan claimed in the media “I ended Gautam Gambhir’s career in international cricket.”

8. vs Manoj Tiwary 2015 in Delhi:

Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary both were involved in an ugly altercation against each other in a Ranji Trophy game. Manoj Tiwary came out to bat without a helmet but as the over changed, he saw a pacer operating at the other end. Tiwary signalled for a helmet while Gambhir thought it was a time-wasting tactic. This led to a massive war of words between the two and the language crossed all barriers. It was all about ‘See you outside’ mode from both ends. 

9. vs Virat Kohli 2023 in Lucknow:

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli revisited their old rivalry in the previous season of the IPL. It all started when Virat Kohli sledged Naveen-ul-Haq who came in to bat for Lucknow in a low-scoring chase against RCB. This went for a bit much when Naveen had an aggressive handshake with Virat after the game. Virat then started having a chat with Kyle Mayers. Gambhir forced Mayers out of the chat and fired a few words at Virat. Later on, all three were fined on their match fee. 

10. vs Sreesanth 2023 in Surat 

Heated conversation between Gautam Gambhir and S Sreesanth in the LLC. pic.twitter.com/Cjl99SWAWK

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 7, 2023

In a recent incident, Gautam Gambhir had a fight with his old Indian teammate Sreesanth in a Legends League Cricket match. Gambhir smashed Sreesanth for a few boundaries and then Sreesanth gave Gambhir a long stare. Gambhir was not pleased with Sreesanth’s reaction, he went on to confront Sreesanth after the end of the over and umpires came in to intervene in the situation. Sreesanth revealed that Gambhir told him, ‘F**k you fixer.’ 

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