My relation with Virat Kohli is not to give masala to the public: Gautam Gambhir

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

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Gambhir spoke on his relation with the star batter. The KKR coach, a potential candidate for Team India’s head coach, stated that Kohli has just as much right to express himself and support their teams 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 public.”

Earlier in April this year, at a PUMA event, Kohli too spoke on the hug and said, “People are very disappointed with my behavior. 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.”

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 went against each other on the ground. In the past, these two players were seen exchanging words multiple times in various IPL seasons.

Meanwhile, amid growing speculation about the team India head coach, KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir recently 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 8 wickets to lift their first IPL trophy in 10 years.

The tenure of India’s current head coach, Rahul Dravid, had come to an end 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. With many names coming up, Gambhir is reportedly the most prominent name in the running to replace Dravid. According to a recent report in Danik Jagran, Gambhir is also keen to apply for the job of India head coach, but only if he is given a ‘selection guarantee’.