In IPL 2024 which has just ended, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ new mentor Gautam Gambhir and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star batter Virat Kohli who were known as rivals off the pitch, embraced each other after matches and even joked about their prior alleged feuds during post-match interviews.
Last year in IPL 2023, Kohli and Gambhir, then mentor for Lucknow Super Giants had an ugly spat on the field but this time around they seem to have moved on.
Rahul Dravid has been succeeded by Gautam Gambhir as coach of the Indian national cricket team hence rekindling questions about the relationship he has with his former teammates.
It is rumored that senior player and former skipper Kohli was not consulted before Gambhir’s appointment for the job was confirmed.
‘They can sit across each other at a table and talk. But BCCI needed to see the bigger picture because there are many youngsters who could be making appearance in the years ahead,’ one BCCI official was quoted as saying by Parami News.
Gambir’s appointment was made by Cricket Advisory Committee of BCCI
Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of BCCI consisting Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, Sulakshana Naik among others took this decision while reportedly consulting players like Hardik Pandya who is expected to lead T20 side again.
The committee decided unanimously that Gambir should be given head coaching position due to his aggressive approach and strategic thinking which are believed to be critical for team’s future.
Gambhir’s installation is perceived as a forward-looking move done by BCCI when it looks forward to instilling competitiveness in its games. The reign of head coach will determine India’s cricket destiny especially given that so many young talents have joined national squad recently.
