Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has spoken up about his relationship with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Gambhir stated that any disagreement he has with a player is limited to the field, and it is not personal. The dispute between Gambhir and Kohli was one of the most discussed topics of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season.
On 5 May, during an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, both notorious for their unfiltered opinions and mutual disdain, got into a fight. The incident occurred after Kohli allegedly abused Mayers and gave him a sendoff, prompting Gambhir to step in and remove Mayers from the field. Kohli then asked Gambhir to stay out of the matter, to which Gambhir responded that his players are like his family, and he won’t tolerate anyone abusing them. The incident was recorded on video and widely shared on social media.
In an interview with News18, Gambhir spoke about his disagreement with Kohli and his relationship with MS Dhoni.
“I typically do not explain my relationships,” Gambhir told News18.
“This question has been asked of me regarding MS Dhoni too – How are my relation with MS Dhoni? I share the same relationship with MS Dhoni as I do with Virat Kohli,” he added.
“My fight with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, or any other player is not personal. My fight is limited to the field. We both want to win. And it should stay on the field,” said the former India opener.
Meanwhile, India lost the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Sunday, with Australia securing a 209-run victory to become test cricket’s world champions.
India put up scores of 296 and 234 in their two innings, but those figures fell well short of what was required to deliver a global title, their first since the 50-overs Champions Trophy in 2013.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized the “ridiculous” shot selections made by the frontline batters, including Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for 49 on Sunday after chasing a wide ball.
“It was a bad shot… You should ask Kohli what shot he played,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“To win the match, you needed a long innings, a century-plus innings, but how are you going to achieve that if you play a shot so far outside the off-stump?”