Gautam Gambhir says 'country doesn't need to know' his bond with Virat Kohli

Veteran India player turned mentor Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli’s on-field relationship made headlines a few times when the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played against each other in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. In the recently-concluded season, Gambhir as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor ‘hugged it out’ with Virat Kohli to make things normal for them and everyone.

Gautam Gambhir mentored KKR in IPL 2024

However, Shreyas Iyer-led KKR, under the guidance of Gambhir, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win their third IPL title. After the win, Gambhir became the frontrunner for the Indian men’s cricket team’s head coach job after Rahul Dravid’s tenure end following the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“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,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda.

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Earlier, Virat Kohli had recalled his ‘viral’ hug with him as well, saying: “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.”

Gambhir and Kohli both moved on

Notably, the on-field flare-ups between Gambhir and Kohli are well-known, but now it seemed they have moved on from their past rivalry. The duo was seen hugging each other after a match between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru as well and a clip of them chatting went viral on social media as well.

Meanwhile, a BCCI source recently revealed that the Gambhir-Kohli bust-up has ended as well. “If people are talking about Gambhir’s friction with Virat Kohli, it can be confirmed that the two have always got along well off the field,” the source added. “Even after the bust-up during an IPL match last year, the two were made to sit down and sort out any issue if they indeed had one.”