Former India opener Gautam Gambhir on Saturday (September 2) expressed his reservations against cricketers showing too much camaraderie on the field with players of the rival team.

Gambhir’s comments came during the Asia Cup 2023 clash between India and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

The 2011 World Cup winner cited franchise cricket as one of the reasons why international games these days don’t have too much aggression.

“When you play on the field for your national team, you must leave the friendship outside the boundary ropes. Game face hona zaroori hai. Dosti bahaar rehni chahiye. There has to be an aggression in the eyes of both sets of players. You can be as friendly as you want after those six or seven hours of cricket. Those hours are very important, because you’re not just representing yourself, you’re representing a nation of over a billion,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

“These days you see players of rival teams patting each other on the back and exchanging fist bumps during a match. You would never see that a few years ago. Aap friendly match hi khel rahe ho.”

Gambhir shared his thoughts after being asked about his heated altercation with Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal in the Asia Cup 2010.

The southpaw clarified that despite the on-field tussle, there was no bad blood between him and Kamran.

“We’re very good friends. In fact, I gave him a bat and he gave me a bat too. I played one whole season with a bat Kamran had given me. We spoke for an hour recently,” Gambhir stated.

“(You can) Sledge, but don’t get personal. You have to stay within your limits. Don’t involve someone’s family member or get too personal. Banter is fine. In games against Australia and Pakistan, there used to be banter,” he further remarked.