Virat Kohli has reportedly assured BCCI that his past on-field feuds with Gautam Gambhir will have no bearing on their coach-player relationship. When BCCI confirmed Gambhir’s appointment as India’s head coach after a unanimous decision by the Cricket Advisory Committee, the bitter past of the former India opener with Kohli was one of the major concerns raised by the fans. If reports are to be believed, even in the BCCI, murmurs were there.
Gambhir himself took a step in the right direction. He made it clear that he wanted his big players – captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah – in his first series as the coach in Sri Lanka even though all three wanted a long break.
Both Kohli and Rohit took Gambhir’s move positively and made themselves available for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins on August 2. Bumrah, however, was given a break as part of routine workload management.
Kohli also communicated to the board that he will put his past on-field confrontations with Gambhir behind and work towards a common goal of achieving greater things for Indian cricket. According to a report in Cricbuzz, discussions in the Indian dressing room had also taken place after their World Cup victory in Barbados.
“Kohli is comfortable working with Gambhir and has communicated this clearly to the relevant BCCI officials. Despite their history, marked by a bitter confrontation captured by cameras during IPL games in the past, Kohli is believed to have stated that previous issues will not affect their professional relationship in the dressing room. Following the World Cup final in Barbados, discussions were reportedly held on the matter. Kohli, who, like Gambhir, is from Delhi, assured the concerned parties that he recognizes both are working towards the country’s interests and is ready to move on from earlier disagreements,” the report stated.
Notably, both Gambhir and Kohli had made honest attempts during IPL 2024 to bury the hatches. They were seen sharing light moments during KKR vs RCB matches.
