Gautam Gambhir Says 'My Relationship With Virat Kohli is Not for TRP'

Newly-appointed India men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday declared that his much talked about relationship with batting mainstay Virat Kohli “is between the two of us and not for TRPs”.

The on-field flare-ups between Gambhir and Virat Kohli are well-documented but the two seemed to have moved on from their past rivalry. The duo was seen hugging each other after a match between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru and a clip of them having a lively chat went viral on social media.

However, the duo will now be working together starting with the T20 and ODI tour of Sri Lanka from July 27.

“My relationship with Virat Kohli is between the two of us and not for TRP,” Gambhir said during his first press conference after becoming the Team India head coach.

Kohli, who recently announced retirement from the T20 International format, is part of India’s ODI squad against the island nation and ahead of that, the former India skipper has apparently communicated to the BCCI that he’s ready to begin this new phase with a clean slate.

Gambhir said the two share a very good relationship (with him) off the field.

“…and will continue to do that. But yes, to make it more public, what kind of a relationship… I think it’s between two individuals. I’ve had a lot of chats with him (Kohli)… we’ve shared messages.

“Sometimes, just because we want headlines, it’s not important. Right now, the most important thing is we both are going to be working extremely hard to make India proud. And that’s our job.”

With the departure of seniors Rohit Sharma and Kohli from the T20 International scene, workload management of someone like Jasprit Bumrah assumes greater significance, Gambhir said.

Both Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from the shortest format after India’s title triumph 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.

(With inputs from Agencies)