India Coach Issues Statement On Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir Rift Rumours

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli [Source: AP]

The Indian cricket team have been in the headlines since the India vs England T20I loss. The 4-0 drubbing followed by rumours of Rohit Sharma’s retirement from ODIs have been capturing the limelight. Recently, reports also emerged of a possible rift between Virat Kohli and the head coach, Gautam Gambhir.

While there has been no confirmation of the crack, recently, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak spoke on the matter, clarifying the relationship between the duo that shares a love-hate relationship since their playing days.

Sitanshu Kotak clears the air on Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir rift

A few days earlier, reports came in that the duo had been keeping radio silence and there had been practically no communication between the two directly. As Virat Kohli practised in the nets, Gambhir reportedly shared no words with him, with a messenger present to exchange words.

However, watering down all the mud, Kotak, while speaking in a pre-match press conference, shared that the two have been talking on larger terms and there is no potential or visible rift between the two in the dressing room.

“Virat and Gautam, they must have talked 10 times today. I don’t think he needs a bridge. Virat, basically, before going into batting, talked about certain things. Honestly, as a batting coach, till the time he doesn’t feel anything or he doesn’t see anything, his batting shouldn’t be disturbed," Kotak remarked in post-match.

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Kotak clarifies why Kohli and Gambhir don't talk much in the nets

Sitanshu Kotak further shared that Virat Kohli, being the veteran of the game he is, does not want to talk much while practising in the nets. 

The rumours and the videos that went viral were clearly during the session of his batting, and Virat only exchanged words with Kotak and Gautam Gambhir after he finished his practice. As per Kotak, Kohli’s batting “shouldn’t be disturbed”.

“You shouldn’t say much because of the way he bats. Mainly, about how his footwork was going and certain things, he asked me before. Then, after the nets, we were talking. Apart from that, what you’re saying, I don’t know where the rumours come from, but they do come,” Kotak added.

From where did the Gambhir-Kohli rift emerge?

The origin of the Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir rift was back in 2013, when during the IPL Gambhir’s comments on Kohli’s dismissal sparked a massive debate between the two. The RCB vs KKR match had the two almost fight each other, with teammates required to separate them.

In 2023 too, Gambhir, as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants team, got engaged in a heated argument with Kohli while defending his team’s bowler Naveen-ul-Haq after a confrontation with Kohli. Moreover, Gambhir and Kohli’s egos and morals clash with each other on the field, which has been the force behind the crackdowns.

Although later, Virat Kohli as well as Gautam Gambhir cleared that everything’s good between them, flashes of no communication and distanced chats between them have wrecked the internet, buzzing with rift rumours.

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