Virat Kohli thrown like a fly out of milk even before Gautam Gambhir's finalisation; BCCI risks dressing room conflict

In a recent development about India's new head coach role, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not consult Virat Kohli before appointing Gambhir Gambhir as India's new head coach. Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are from the same state, Delhi, but the duo haven't had a great camaraderie together, especially on the cricket field.

Both were involved in an ugly face-off in an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013, where they had to be separated by another Delhi boy Rajat Bhatia, who was in KKR back then. Since then, both are known to be rivals on and off the cricket field.

The matter even escalated in IPL 2023 when both the legends were involved in a heated exchange after a match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After the match, Gautam Gambhir was seen moving aggressively towards Virat Kohli and both seemed to have exchanged a few words between them.

While it is believed that Kohli had a word with Afghanistan and LSG bowler Naveen-ul-Haq during the match, Gautam Gambhir, LSG's mentor at that time, was trying to defend his player's actions.

Also read: "Gautam Gambhir told me long back that Rohit Sharma will"- Gambhir's childhood coach's jaw-dropping revelation

Virat Kohli not consulted for Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India Head Coach

According to Hindustan Times, the BCCI did not consult Virat Kohli before the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as head coach of Team India. It is believed that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which was given the duty to appoint India's new head coach and comprises of former players like Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, unanimously agreed to Gambhir's name and recommended his name to BCCI.

Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman were the only ones to appear for the interview for India's head coach role. On Tuesday (July 9), BCCI secretary Jay Shah officially announced that Gautam Gambhir will be India's next head coach and his tenure will begin from India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.

The relationship between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli took a turn in this year's IPL when both were seen sharing a warm hug with each other during a strategic time-out break in the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Gambhir was KKR's mentor this season and played a key role in the team's title win this year.

In an event during the IPL, Kohli even ended any rumours of any rift between the two of them. He even mentioned that they are both professionals and not kids that keep fighting with each other.

Important to look at the future - BCCI official

A BCCI official said that it was important for the board to look at the future as India is going through a transition period.

“There is enough time for the two to have conversations over the table. But it was important for the BCCI to look at the big picture with many youngsters likely to feature in the coming years,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli recently retired from T20Is after India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Both the star players won't be available in Gambhir's first assignment as India's head coach in Sri Lanka. But they are likely to come together during India's home Test series against Bangladesh.