WATCH: Gautam Gambhir blames Pakistani fans for his indecent gesture

A recent video of former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has gone viral on social media in which he could be seen making an inappropriate gesture during the Asia Cup 2023 Pakistan-India match on Saturday. 

The footage revealed that Gambhir showed his middle finger to a section of fans who could be heard chanting "Dhoni, Kohli". 

However, the former athlete put the blame on the Pakistani fans for his gesture, saying that they were shouting "anti-India slogans".

“The crowd that was made up of Pakistani fans were shouting anti-India slogans were also passing comments on Kashmir. As an Indian, I can’t take anyone saying this about my country, hence I reacted this way. What you see on social media isn’t always the correct picture,” Gambhir said while talking to the media persons on Monday.

However, Pakistanis did not take his statement lightly and called out Ghambir for lying about the video. 

Earlier this year, Gambhir had said his rivalry with any player, be it Kohli or Dhoni, is only on the field and there’s nothing personal about it.

“My relationship with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli is the same. If there is an argument between us, it stays only on the field, not off the field. There’s nothing personal. They want to win as much as I do," the two-time World Cup winner said.

During this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), Kohli and Gambhir also had a heated exchange after Royal Challengers Bangalore's victory over Lucknow Super Giants and had to be separated by Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul.

The duo also had a verbal spat in the 2013 edition of the IPL.

Pakistan will face India once again during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 after both teams booked their spot in the Super 4 round of the event.

After India’s win over Nepal on Monday, the Men in Blue became the second team to qualify for Super 4 from Group A after Pakistan.

The arch-rivals will lock horns in the Super 4 round on Sunday, September 10.

The match is likely to be played in Hambantota since the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is considering shifting the matches from Colombo, which was initially the venue for Super 4 fixtures, due to poor weather.