Gambhir, Virat shared text messages; new coach says he has ‘huge respect’ for star batsman

Ever since Gautam Gambhir was announced as head coach, the cricketing world wondered how he would get along with Virat Kohli, since the two Delhi cricketers have had few public spats in the past. And addressing the media for the first time since taking over as India’s head coach Gambhir said he had a very good off-field relationship with Kohli.

“My relationship is not public,” Gambhir said. “What kind of relationship do I share with Kohli? I think it’s between two mature individuals on the field. Everyone has got the right to fight for their own team for their own jersey, and come back to a winning dressing room,” he said about the instances where both of them have been involved in verbal altercations on the field in the IPL.

But Gambhir said with the Indian team all of it would change. “At the moment we are representing India, representing 140 crore Indians and I’m sure we got to be on the same page and try to make India proud. And I shared a very good relationship off the field and we’ll continue to do that,” Gambhir said.

Gambhir and Kohli have shared the dressing room together at Delhi as well as India. After Kohli scored his maiden ODI century, Gambhir even gave away his man of the match award to him. However, in the IPL, first as players and then as a player-coach of opposition teams, they have gone at each other. But Gambhir said he has been in touch with the former India captain.

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“We shared messages and I think it is not important to share what we discuss and share.During the games or after the games, sometimes we just want headlines. It is not important. The most important thing is he is a thorough professional, he’s a world-class athlete, he’s a world-class player. I’ve always said that I have huge respect for him as a player, and it’s going to continue that and hopefully we can work together really well,” Gambhir said.

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