Gautam Gambhir Jay Shah. Image Credits: X
Known for his no-nonsense attitude, Gautam Gambhir once grabbed headlines for his fiery face-off with legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar after the Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. But the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 saw an unprecedented moment when the foes were seen sharing the same table.
As both Indian legends attended the ceremony, India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur was initially assigned a seat beside Gambhir but chose to move away. Catching the rivals in the same table, fans were in disbelief.
BCCI Naman Awards 2026 sparks stunning Gambhir-Gavaskar reunion
Since his playing days, Gautam Gambhir has been the face of many on-field confrontations, known for his fiery attitude. Whenever criticism came his way, he never hesitated to hit back strongly. After Team India’s Champions Trophy triumph last year, his sharp reply to one of Sunil Gavaskar’s remarks is still fresh in fans’ memories.
Since then, Gambhir-Gavaskar never spotted together changing words, but the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 gave an unprecedented twist to their rivalry. Many Indian cricketers attended the ceremony as the BCCI honored their brilliance, with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Gavaskar also present among the guests.
Also Read: BCCI Naman Award Winners List 2026- Shubman Gill, Rahul Dravid, Among Others Felicitated
In a table, India Women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Gambhir, and Sunil Gavaskar were assigned to seats. But a small move of India captain twisted the plot dramatically. As Harmanpreet was set to sit just beside Gambhir, she chose to move somewhere else, and fans watched the unthinkable moment.
After she moved away, it left Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Gavaskar shared the same table. Even though Gambhir sat in front and Gavaskar slightly behind, fans couldn’t get over the rare sight of the long-time foes at the same table.
Watch the video below:
What is the story behind the Gambhir-Gavaskar rivalry?
The seed of the Gambhir-Gavaskar rivalry rooted into the recent past. After Team India lifted the Champions Trophy in 2025, the BCCI announced 58 crore prize money as a reward. While writing his column in Sportstar, Gavaskar took a massive dig at Gautam Gambhir.
Giving former Indian coach Rahul Dravid’s example, he said that Gambhir needs to learn something from the legend. He pointed out that Dravid refused to take extra money after the T20 World Cup 2024 victory and chose to receive the same amount as the other support staff.
The criticism didn’t sit well with the current Indian coach, as he replied back to Gavaskar later on. Speaking at the ABP News India At 2047 Summit, Gambhir took a sharp jab, saying those who have been doing commentary for years often question his decisions and believe Indian cricket is their personal property, which it is not.
“It's people's job to criticise me, and they should criticise. But there are some people who have been sitting in the commentary box for 20-25 years. They questioned everything I did. They think that Indian cricket is their property. Unfortunately, Indian cricket is not someone's property. It is the identity of 140 crore Indians, and it will remain that way. They questioned my coaching, my records, my concussions, and even my prize money,” he said.
BCCI honours Gautam Gambhir with the T20 World Cup 2026 Champions
After winning the T20 World Cup 2026, India created history by becoming the only team to successfully defend the title and win the trophy three times. As the world celebrated the Men in Blue’s triumph, head coach Gambhir remained one of their strongest pillars throughout the tournament.
In the BCCI Naman Awards 2026, the board felicitated Team India for that outstanding triumph. Among those present was head coach Gautam Gambhir, who remained one of the key figures behind India’s success despite the criticism surrounding him.
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