Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli: ‘Good for the TRP, but my relationship is not public’

Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir said that he share a good relationship with Virat Kohli, with whom he has had a multiple on-field clash in the IPL.

“Good for the TRP, but my relationship is not public,” he told reporters during his first press conference as Team India head coach.

“What kind of a relationship I share with Virat Kohli… I think it’s between two mature individuals. On the field, everyone has got the right to fight for their own jersey and come back to a winning dressing room.

“But at the moment, we’re representing India, representing 140 crore Indians and I’m sure we’re going to be on the same page and try and make India proud.

Kohli and Gambhir had a heated clash in IPL 2023 when the latter was the Lucknow Super Giants team mentor. (BCCI)

“I share a very good relationship off the field and will continue to do that. But yes, to make it more public what kind of a relationship… I think it’s between two individuals,” he said.

Gambhir revealed that he has had a lot of chats with Virat Kohli, since the time he has been appointed as Team India’s head coach.

“I’ve had a lot of chats with him… we’ve shared messages. It’s not important what we discussed, how many chats have I had with him, after my announcement or before my announcement or during the game, after the games,” he said.

“Sometimes, just because we want headlines, it’s not important. Right now, the most important thing is we both are going to be working extremely hard to make India proud. And that’s our job.”

Timeline of the Kohli-Gambhir saga

Kohli and Gambhir played for India for nearly five years together with both Delhi batters playing crucial roles in India’s 2011 World Cup victory. Gambhir, seven years Kohli’s senior, was part of the Delhi unit during Kohli’s First-Class (2006) and T20 debuts in 2007.

The left-handed Gambhir was also lauded for his gesture of handing over the Player of the Match to Kohli when the youngster scored his maiden ODI century in 2009 after forging a 224-run stand with the former against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Gambhir would later play the last two Tests of his career under Kohli’s captaincy in 2016.

IPL 2013

The first clash between Kohli and Gambhir came in an IPL 2013 match in Bengaluru. Gambhir and Kohli exchanged words after the RCB skipper was dismissed for 35 in a chase. Kohli, walking back to the dugout, returned briefly to have a heated argument with his counterpart, before other KKR players intervened to douse the fire.

2016-2020

Between 2016 and 2020, Gambhir post-retirement, had made several remarks lambasting Kohli’s leadership during his captaincy tenure with the Indian team. Gambhir even labelled Kohli “not a shrewed captain”, stating that he was “lucky” to be retained as RCB captain for long.

IPL 2023

In a nail-biting finish in Bengaluru, Lucknow Super Giants pipped RCB by one wicket. Gambhir was there in the LSG dugout this team as the team mentor and the former India batter provocated the home crowd with a ‘finger on his lips’ response to the crowd.

In the reverse fixture in Lucknow, Kohli returned the gesture to the Lucknow crowd after an 18-run win. An on-field tussle with LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq then carried on after the game. Kohli was then approached by LSG’s Kyle Mayers for a chat, when Gambhir intervened and pulled his player away from the RCB batter. Soon, the cameras caught Kohli and Gambhir in a heated exchange, prompting a host of players from both teams to hop in and control the situation.

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