Speaking on the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Gambhir clarified that his reaction was triggered by some fans chanting anti-India slogans. He acknowledged making a wrong gesture and emphasised that he should not have reacted that way.
During the Asia Cup match, Gambhir was captured briefly pointing his middle finger towards fans, with reports suggesting it was in response to slogans in support of Virat Kohli.
“If I am going there and some fans point out and say ‘Hindustan Murdabad’ and they were told once by the security to not do it…in the heat of the moment, I accept I made a wrong gesture, and sometimes when you hear these things, you react,” Gambhir explained.
He recognized that individuals react differently based on their mindset and the situation, stating, “Everyone reacts differently; everyone has a different mindset. If someone doesn’t want to listen then you react, and I am accepting that I shouldn’t have made that gesture.”
Responding to media reports following the incident, Gambhir refuted claims that he reacted to a particular name being chanted. He criticised some journalists for showing only one side of the incident and clarified that the situation was not an India-Pakistan match, urging for accurate reporting.
“People can chant anyone’s name, I don’t care, as I said, I don’t take fights personally. But yeah, when it comes to someone abusing my nation, I have the right to react anyway. I want probably in a more sensible way but things that have been written and spoken were wrong,” Gambhir added.
Gautam Gambhir, currently a BJP MP from East Delhi, serves as a cricket commentator and is the team mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Gambhir has an impressive cricketing career, playing 58 Tests and 147 ODIs for India, with notable achievements including winning the ICC Test Player of the Year Award in 2009.
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(With inputs from ANI)
