The relationship between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli has been a topic of discussion for the last several years. Sometimes both of them fight with each other and sometimes they show brotherhood. Gambhir and Kohli have played together for India and both are from Delhi.

But you will be surprised to know that Kohli considered senior players like Gambhir as his role model during his early career. In Kohli’s early days in international cricket, Gambhir played an important role in guiding him, especially when they used to bat together.

The fights between the two are quite famous in IPL

Now Gambhir is the head coach of Team India and Kohli is the batting base of Team India, both are working together. But there was a time when there were many instances of discord between the two during the IPL.

The most notable incident is from the year 2013 IPL, when there was a match between Gambhir’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). After Kohli was out, Gautam and him had a heated argument. Both the captains clashed aggressively with each other on the field and the umpires and players had to intervene to calm the situation.

Then in the year 2023, both Kohli and Gambhir were fined 100% of their match fees due to a brawl after the RCB vs LSG match. Everyone will remember this fight.

When Gautam Gambhir gave his award to Kohli

But there was a time when the mutual respect and sportsmanship between the two was evident on the field. The best example of that mutual respect and sportsmanship is their 224-run partnership against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 24 December 2009.

Chasing a target of 316, both Gambhir and Kohli scored centuries as India won the match with 7 wickets in hand. Gambhir remained unbeaten on 150 and Kohli was dismissed on 107 after scoring his first ODI century.

But, despite being named Man of the Match, Gambhir decided to share the award with Kohli. Gambhir took this decision acknowledging the importance of Kohli’s first century. He also praised Kohli’s calm and maturity during the run chase and handed over his award to Kohli, displaying great sportsmanship and team spirit.

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When Gautam Gambhir handed his Man of the Match trophy to a young Virat Kohli#gautamgambhir #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/7zhumS6byL

— Shubham Srivastava (@Shubham192223) September 16, 2024

Gambhir had said praising Kohli

“The way Virat batted, it took a lot of pressure off my shoulders.”

It was a golden moment in Indian cricket history when Gautam Gambhir took a liking to a young Virat Kohli. The relationship between Gambhir and Kohli has evolved from mutual respect in the early years to aggression on the field and differences in approach, especially when it comes to leadership and captaincy. However, both players have always recognised each other’s contributions, and despite the occasional clashes, both have great respect for each other.