NEW DELHI:
Virat Kohli
and
Gautam Gambhir
shared a warm embrace during the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. It was one of the heartwarming moments of the just concluded season. The long-standing alleged hostility between the two former teammates seemed to dissolve as they demonstrated mutual respect and camaraderie.
Kohli, the face of
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
, and Gambhir, mentor the Kolkata Knight Riders, showed that their past differences were behind them.
Gambhir's return to KKR as a mentor proved to be a masterstroke, as he guided
Shreyas Iyer
's team to their third IPL title. KKR dominated the final, thrashing Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai. This victory ended KKR's 10-year title drought.
Addressing the perceived rift with Kohli, Gambhir told Sportskeeda, "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."
Gambhir also praised Kohli's six-hitting prowess, acknowledging RCB batter's batting excellence.
Kohli had a stellar
IPL 2024
season, topping the batting charts with 741 runs in 15 games and winning the prestigious
Orange Cap
.
Earlier, Kohli also reflected on the moment with Gambhir during an event. "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," Kohli remarked.
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