Gautam Gambhir on his relationship with Virat Kohli, says ‘…not to give masala to public’

In the IPL 2024 season, fans were treated to a heartwarming moment when Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir shared a hug and spoke to each other, marking a significant shift from their much-discussed intense verbal spat during the IPL 2023 season.

Gambhir, in a recent interview with Sportskeeda, spoke about his relationship with the star batter. The KKR coach, a potential candidate for Team India's head coach, stated Kohli's right to express himself and support his team, just as he does. He also mentioned that his relationship with Kohli is something the public doesn't need to know about. 

“The perception is far away from the reality. My relation with Virat Kohli is something this country doesn’t need to know. He has as much right as I do to express himself and help our respective teams win. Our relation is not to give masala to the public,” said Gambhir.

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Earlier in April this year, at a PUMA event, Kohli spoke about the hug and said, “People are very disappointed with my behaviour. I hugged Naveen, and then the other day, Gauti bhai [Gautam Gambhir came and hugged me. Your masala is over, so you're booing. We're not kids anymore."

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In 2023, the RCB's star batter was angry at Lucknow Super Giants player Naveen-ul-Haq when Gautam Gambhir jumped in between and had a heated exchange with Kohli. The IPL 2023 spat was not the first time Virat and Gambhir had a go at each other on the ground. In the past, as well, these two players have been seen exchanging words multiple times during the various IPL seasons.

Meanwhile, amid growing speculation about who the next team India head coach will be, KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir had a friendly meeting with BCCI secretary Jay Shah after the IPL 2024 final on Sunday. Notably, KKR, who had a new mentor this season, defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to lift their first IPL trophy in 10 years.

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The tenure of India's current head coach, Rahul Dravid, ended after last year's ODI World Cup. However, the BCCI had decided to give Dravid a short-term extension with the T20 World Cup starting in June. According to a recent report in Dainik Jagran, Gambhir is keen on taking up this role, but only if he is given a ‘selection guarantee’.