just below the media center, a fan holds a sign that reads, "Today's special: Mango shake, made by King Kohli". Ever since a tense Monday night at the IPL in Lucknow at the start of May, when they clashed during the post-match handshakes, there has been an ongoing battle between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq: Naveen seemed to post a picture of mangoes every time that Kohli failed or Royal Challengers Bangalore lost during the second half of IPL 2023. The Kotla crowd tonight at the World Cup did not let him forget it.
When Naveen walked out to bat in Afghanistan's innings, the crowd responded to the PA announcer reading his name with chants of "Kohli, Kohli" and the same thing happened during the run chase when Naveen came on to bowl. Hashmatullah Shahidi, the Afghanistan captain, played up to it by bringing Naveen on as soon as Kohli walked out at No. 3 following Ishan Kishan's dismissal.
But they have been playing things down just a little, exchanging a handshake and patting one another on the back during the latter stages of this run chase. Perhaps a closer game would have generated some more masala, but they have opted to cool down the spice.