‘It gives me passion to play well’ – Naveen Ul Haq speaks up on crowd’s ‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants

LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq got involved in a verbal banter with RCB star Virat Kohli after which he regularly gets to face ‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants. After the IPL 2023 Eliminator against Mumbai Indians, Naveen said he enjoyed the “Kohli, Kohli” chants at the Chepauk as it urged him to give his best for his team.

Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs in the IPL 2023 Eliminator. In the post-match press conference after the MI vs LSG clash, the young pacer was asked about the chants he has to face to which he came up with a positive reply.

“I enjoy it [being taunted by crowd]. I like that everybody in the ground is chanting his [Kohli’s] name, or any other player’s name. It gives me passion to play well for my team,” Naveen said in the post-match press conference.

I don’t concentrate on the outside noise: Naveen-ul-Haq

“I don’t concentrate on the outside noise. I just focus on my own cricket. It’s not like if the crowd is chanting or anyone is saying something… it doesn’t affect me. As professional sportsmen you have to take it in your stride,” the LSG pacer discussed about the chants.

“One day you will not do your best for the team and these fans are going to give it to you. On another day, you’ll do a special thing for your team and the same people are going to chant your name,” Naveen-ul-Haq further added.

Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed 4 crucial Mumbai Indians batters including Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Cameron Green in the IPL 2023 Eliminator. He also celebrated them in his own way. He put both fingers on his ears, popularly known as the ‘shut out the noise’ celebration to suggest to the crowd that he doesn’t hear any of their taunts.

‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants have become a regular affair ever since the LSG vs RCB game in Lucknow on May 1 where Naveen-ul-Haq had a heated argument with Virat Kohli. It was then followed by some quirky posts on social media by the young pacer.

Meanwhile, Naveen-ul-Haq bowled an exceptional spell as he finished with the figures of 4 for 38 in the IPL 2023 Eliminator. His spell allowed LSG to restrict the MI side for a total of 182-8 despite them getting a great start. However, LSG failed to chase down the target as they fell short by 81 runs in the knockout game.