It’s just a couple of days since Gautam Gambhir had his first press conference as the head coach of India, along with the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar. Gambhir, who was the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the last IPL, is thought to be a positive influence in the KKR dressing room.
Nehra Comments On Rohit-Virat Relationship With Gambhir
India’s cricket lovers are curious how Gambhir would do in terms of India’s dressing room environment. Especially since he will have to deal with stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Talking about how Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s dynamic with Gautam Gambhir would be, former cricketer Ashish Nehra feels that ‘the earlier they (Virat and Rohit) gel with him (Gambhir) inside that dressing room environment, the better’ it would be.
“The good thing is, even though there is a chance that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli don’t play in the major 50-over tournaments coming up but they are still there for this series in Sri Lanka. Gautam Gambhir has come as a new coach, and the earlier they gel with him inside that dressing room environment, the better, regardless of whether they knew each other for many years before that or not. So I like that they are playing the ODIs.”
“Many a times it happens that after a major tournament like the World Cup you would want to give youngsters more chances. India already have a good pool of players for white-ball cricket and so the more time these youngsters spend time with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the better it is for them.”
Gautam Gambhir is known for his aggressive approach on and off the pitch, whether as a player or a mentor. This had him going fiery with opposite team players at times, and the biggest one was Virat Kohli. In 2023, Gambhir nearly went physical with Virat Kohli, and players had to intervene and neutralize the scenario. There was an issue between them back in 2013 as well, when Gambhir was a player for KKR.
But in IPL 2024, both men killed off the feud by publicly coming forward. Even after Gautam Gambhir took the helm of the Indian cricket team, he talked about the relationship he has with Virat Kohli.
“Good for the TRP, but my relationship is not public. What kind of relationship do I share with Virat Kohli, I think it is between two mature individuals.
“On the field, everyone has got the right to fight for their own team, for their own jersey, and want to come back in a winning dressing room. But, at the moment, I think you are representing India and representing 140 crore Indians and I am sure we are going to be on the same page and try and make India proud.
“I share a very good relationship off the field and we will continue to do that. But yes, to make it more public what kind of a relationship [we have] I think it is between two individuals.”
Gambhir also revealed that he has been in constant touch with Virat Kohli, but it’s between the two individuals and not for headlines. He called Virat a world-class player.
“How many chats have I had with him, after my announcement or before my announcement, during the games, after the games – I think sometimes just because we want headlines – it is not important,” Gambhir said. “The most important thing right now is that we both have got to be working extremely hard to make India proud. And that is our job.
“He is a thorough professional, he is a world-class athlete, he is a world-class player. I have always said that. I have huge respect for him as a player and it is going to continue. And hopefully, we can work together really well.”
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