Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed his relationship with cricket star Virat Kohli on Tuesday, clarifying that they remain friends despite their past on-field confrontations. Gambhir specifically addressed the heated exchange during an IPL 2023 match between
Lucknow Super Giants
and
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
.The incident occurred during a group stage encounter when Kohli had an intense exchange with Naveen during the post-match handshakes. The situation escalated when Gambhir, then serving as LSG mentor, got involved in an animated discussion with Kohli, requiring intervention from other players and staff, including LSG captain KL Rahul.
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"We were friends, we are friends, and we are going to stay friends. On the field, when you represent two different teams, you have the right to fight for your side. But off the field, the relationship you share, everyone doesn't need to know it. People have said a lot to gain TRP. More importantly, we should love what he has done for Indian cricket," Gambhir said at the ABP summit.
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Gambhir addressed the media attention surrounding their relationship with humor, saying, "It's just two Delhi boys having fun. If that's a problem, I'll tell the BCCI to stop posting about it."Who's that IPL player?The Indian head coach also expressed admiration for Kohli's fitness level. "If I could enter a cricketer's body, it would be Virat Kohli, because he is the fittest player on the team," he remarked.Since taking over from Rahul Dravid as head coach, Gambhir has led the Indian cricket team through various challenges. Despite facing some setbacks, the team achieved success by winning the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
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