Newly-appointed India men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir stated on Monday that his well-known relationship with batting star Virat Kohli “is between the two of us and not for TRPs.”
Although their on-field clashes are well-documented, Gambhir and Kohli appear to have put their past rivalry behind them. A video of the two hugging and having a lively conversation after a match between KKR and Royal Challengers Bangalore went viral on social media.
However, the two will now be collaborating starting with the T20 and ODI tour of Sri Lanka from July 27.
During his first press conference as Team India head coach, Gambhir remarked, “My relationship with Virat Kohli is between the two of us and not for TRP.”
In the context of Kohli, Gambhir added, “We have had lots of discussions and everyone has the right fight for their jersey.”
“At the moment, we are representing India; we are representing 140 crore Indians. We have an excellent relationship with him off the field. But it’s not for the public. It’s not important how many chats I’ve had with him during or after the game. He is a thorough professional, a world-class athlete, and hopefully he will continue that way,” Gambhir added.
Gambhir emphasized that with seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping away from T20 Internationals, managing the workload of players like Jasprit Bumrah becomes even more crucial.
Both Rohit and Kohli retired from T20 cricket following India’s title victory in the T20 World Cup last month.
“Workload for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important.”
“Now that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play only two formats, I expect them to be available for most games,” Gambhir said.
