IPL 2023: Sport would be 'dull' without conflict - Swann on Kohli-Gambhir bust-up

Kolkata, May 10: Former England off-spinner Graeme has weighed in on the Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir conflict during the ongoing IPL 2023, adding that the sport would be "dull" without such incidents.

Kohli and Gambhir had a verbal spat following Royal Challengers Bangalore's away match against Lucknow Super Giants on May 1 when the former RCB skipper was involved in an argument with Afghan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq during and after the match.

Swann feels the controversial bust-up between Gambhir and Kohli is nothing compared to what he has witnessed in the fiercely-contested Ashes series.

"Let's face it, if there was never any conflict in sport, it would be so dull. Having played Ashes test series throughout my life, this is nothing compared to that," Swann, an expert with JioCinema, said in a virtual interaction.

Kohli and Gambhir, who is the LSG team mentor, faced heavy sanctions and were fined 100 per cent of their match fees for breaching the IPL's Code of Conduct. Naveen was also charged with 50 per cent of his match fees.

Swann feels there's nothing wrong with Kohli being ultra-aggressive, and opined that he is 'Kohli' because of his passion for the game.

"You should never try to dilute the players so much that they do not wear their hearts on their sleeves. One of the reasons Kohli is 'Kohli' is because he's so passionate about his cricket. He's so in your face when he's playing and he intimidates a lot of players.

"Some may think he's going too far. They are massive personalities, who grew up and played together. Gautam is never going to back down to Virat."

The former England spinner, however, agreed that the conflict should not go way beyond the field as that would bring a bad image on the individuals involved.

"If it spills over off the field and there's swearing stuff then that's wrong. As long as there are handshakes after the game and has not created a bad image on the screen, then I'm all for their passion," Swann added.

(With PTI inputs)