pc: www.dnaindia.com

Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has recently shed light on his on-field spat with Virat Kohli during the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to Naveen, Kohli started a "fight" and forcefully held his hand after the match.

The incident took place during a match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where a heated exchange of words broke out between the players and the support staff. The key players involved in the controversy were RCB's stand-in captain, Virat Kohli, LSG advisors, Gautam Gambhir and Naveen-ul-Haq.

As an experienced T20 cricketer, Naveen has participated in various franchise tournaments across the globe. He has blamed Kohli's actions for the brawl, which started the fight.

He said, 'He should not have said all this during and after the match. I didn't start the fight. After the match, when we were shaking hands, Virat Kohli started the fight.

All three were penalized for breaching the IPL's code of conduct. Kohli and Gambhir's match fees were forfeited in full while Naveen was fined half.

PC: India.com

He said, 'When you see the fine, you will understand who started the fight.'

He said- "I just want to say one thing that I usually do not sledge anyone, and even if I do, I will say it to the batsmen only when I am bowling because I am a bowler. I didn't utter a single word. I didn't sledge anyone.

"The players, who were there, know how I handled the situation. I never lost my temper when I was batting or after the match. What I did after the match is for everyone to see. I was just shaking hands and then he (Kohli) grabbed my hand very tightly and I am also human and I reacted.

After the incident, Naveen was subjected to vitriolic trolling which forced him to restrict comments on his Instagram handle. Additionally, fans booed him every time he ran in to bowl. However, he says he was not bothered by the negative attention.

He said- "It didn't affect me at all. I know how to shut the mouth of critics. I don't need to give it back to 80,000 people, I was just focusing on my cricket, I had to focus on my abilities. I was confident and I wanted my performance to speak."

Naveen said, "There was a fire on social media but I told myself that if I have reached this level with my cricket then I can continue playing even after this incident."