Former India captain Virender Sehwag has said that things like the recent spat between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir after the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL 2023 match in Lucknow, are not good examples for the kids who are impressionable.

RCB icon Kohli and LSG mentor Gambhir got into an altercation after the former RCB captain was involved in an unsavory incident with LSG pacer Naveen Ul Haq. Tempers got fired up and things became uneasy as the two faced off after the match and had to separated by players from both sides.

Sehwag commented on the same and said that Virat and Gautam Gambhir are very well-renowned names in the nation, and their acts are watched by millions of kids who consider them their idols, and their on-field fights wouldn’t reflect well on the future generation.

“I switched off the TV once the match got over. I had no idea about what happened after the match. The next day when I woke up, I saw a lot of chaos on social media. What happened wasn’t right. The loser should quietly accept defeat and walk away and the winning team should celebrate. Why did they need to say anything to each other," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

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“I always say one thing, that these guys are icons of the country. If they do or say anything, millions of kids follow them and probably think ‘If my icon has done this, I would too’. So if they keep these things in mind, they would limit such incidents," he added.

Sehwag, who played in the IPL from 2008-2015, urged BCCI to take strict action on such incidents including banning players who cross the line.

“If the BCCI decides to ban anyone, then maybe such incidents will happen rarely or not take place at all. Such incidents have happened several times in the past so it’s better to do whatever you want to inside the controlled environment of the dressing room.

When you’re on the ground, these things don’t look nice. My own kids can lip-read and they very well understand Ben Stokes. So that is when I feel bad. If you’re saying such things, if my kids can read it, others can too and tomorrow they will think that if they (Kohli and Gambhir) can say it, so can I,” Sehwag said.

The BCCI fined Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir 100% of their match fees, while Naveen Ul Haq copped a 50% match fess ban.