'Gambhir thought whatever he said was right. But after some time, it is proven that you are not always right.'
Shahid Afridi -- the retired Pakistani cricketer -- has once again taken aim at Gautam Gambhir, reigniting one of this century's infamous cricket feuds during a recent interview with Telecom Asia Sport.
'The way Gautam started his stint, it looked like he thought whatever he said was right. But after some time, it is proven that you are not always right,' Afridi said, reviving a rivalry that has stretched nearly two decades.
Their clashes go back to their playing days, most infamously during the 2007 Asia Cup, when both nearly came to blows.
Afridi recounted the episode in his autobiography with trademark bluntness: 'I remember the run-in with Gambhir during the 2007 Asia Cup, when he completed his single while running straight into me.'
'The umpires had to finish it off, or I would have. Clearly, we had a frank bilateral discussion about each other's female relative,' Afridi wrote.
Afridi didn't stop there. In the book, he doubled down on his long-held view of Gambhir's personality, taking aim at what he described as the Indian opener's attitude.
'Gambhir behaves like he's a cross between Don Bradman and James Bond. In Karachi, we call guys like him saryal (burnt up). It's simple, I like happy, positive people. Doesn't matter if they are aggressive or competitive, but you have to be positive and Gambhir wasn't,' Afridi wrote.
He followed it up with an even harsher assessment, pulling no punches.
'Some rivalries were personal, some professional. First the curious case of Gambhir. Oh, poor Gautam. He and his attitude problem. He who has no personality. He who is barely a character in the great,' Afridi wrote, leaving little ambiguity about his disdain.
Gambhir has always hit back just as directly. During the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign, he dismissed Afridi's remarks as immature and attention-seeking.
'I am sure he will sell his book better. Some people grow in age, not mentally. Shahid Afridi may be 36, 37 years old, but he is 16 mentally,' Gambhir told India Today, even suggesting psychiatric treatment for the Pakistan cricketer.
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