Former India batsman and India’s top-scorer in the 2011 World Cup final, Gautam Gambhir, gave a very sweet reply and a rare smile when talking about his “ladai” with Indian superstar cricketer Virat Kohli.
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli shared some of the finest moments of their careers for India. In 2009, Gambhir handed Kohli his Man of the Match award as Kohli got his maiden ODI century. In the 2011 World Cup final, both shared a crucial partnership against Sri Lanka.
However, an ugly on-field spat in the IPL 2015 during the KKR vs RCB game started a rivalry between them and their fans. This was exacerbated when they had another verbal battle in IPL 2023 in Lucknow after the LSG vs RCB encounter.
But, in the latest video of Gautam Gambhir, the KKR mentor made it clear that his fight with Virat Kohli has only been limited to the cricket field and everything between them is fine off the field.
Video: Gautam Gambhir gives a sweet smile when talking about fight with Virat Kohli
In the pre-match show on Star Sports for the India vs South Africa 3rd ODI on Friday, Gautam Gambhir was quizzed by host Jatin Sapru about Kohli’s 50th ODI century, in the World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand. Sapru asked Gambhir if he remembered against which Kiwi bowler Kohli notched his century. To this, Gambhir promptly replied with Lockie Ferguson’s name.
This impressed Jatin Sapru and co-panelist Piyush Chawla. Gautam Gambhir had a rare smile on his face, something which becomes a talking point on social media whenever it happens.
To this, Gambhir added: “Ye aap baar baar dikhana, mujhe sab kuch yaad rehta hai. Ladai meri sirf on the field hai(Please show this clip again and again, I remember everything. My fight is only on the field [with Kohli])”
Check out the video here:
You don’t get to see @GautamGambhir smiling too often because he’s always focused on what needs to be done!
But here’s a fun clip of him reminding the cricketing world that “rivalry is on the field, not off it”.
— Madhav Sharma (@HashTagCricket) December 23, 2023
Kohli’s next assignment is the 2-Test series against South Africa, starting December 26.
