Naveen’s exceptional bowling skills proved to be a game-changer as he claimed a total of four wickets, ultimately tilting the match in favour of his team. His brilliant performance restricted Mumbai Indians to a modest 182/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

However, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his concern about Naveen’s behaviour towards the crowd, highlighting the need for a more respectful celebration. Gavaskar emphasised that – when a player takes a wicket or scores a century, it is important to acknowledge the applause and avoid any disrespectful gestures such as covering one’s ears.

He emphasised the importance of celebrating in a more dignified manner, suggesting that players should raise a hand to their ears and greet the audience rather than engaging in provocative actions. Gavaskar made it clear that these were his personal views.

“Listen to the applause, chuck your hand behind the ears and say ‘hello, now can I hear you?’. That’s how the celebration should be. That’s old me saying this, by the way,” Gavaskar added.

However, his comments on this matter received significant backlash on Twitter, with many expressing their outrage at his remarks. Many reminded Sunny Gavaskar of the fact that Naveen was following in the footsteps of his captain, KL Rahul.

After dismissing Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma, the pacer unleashed a unique gesture, reminiscent of Rahul’s iconic century celebration, covering his ears with his fingers and adjusting his collar.

“Sunny Gavaskar should stop commentary if he doesn’t understand Naveen’s celebration.” wrote one user while another wrote that Gavaskar was “not making sense regarding Naveen’s celebration”.

“Sunil gavaskar is trolling people chanting kohli kohli in earlier matches while commenting on naveen ul haq’s wicket celebration,” comes from another Twitter user.

One Twitter user mentioned one of Gavaskar’s earlier comments, “Sunil Gavaskar has no business to tell how Naveen-Ul-Haq has to celebrate. Crowd was not was not easy on him and he is giving it back. (I think it was Sunil Gavaskar who said this).”