‘Nothing personal’: Gautam Gambhir opens up about IPL spat with Virat Kohli

Gautam
Gambhir, former India cricketer and Kolkata Knight Riders captain, opened up
about his on-field verbal spat with Virat Kohli in Indian Premier League (IPL)
2013.

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Speaking
on Jatin Sapru’s YouTube show ‘Over and Out’, Gambhir said that sometimes personal
relationships take a backseat in heated situations when you are leading a team.
He also said that he has no regret about whatever had happened during the
incident.

“That’s
OK, I am absolutely fine with it and I expect him to be like that. I am like that.
I like that contest, I like people who are competitive. MS Dhoni is a
competitor in his own way, Virat is a competitor in his own way. Sometimes when
you are leading the side, you have to do it even if you don’t want to do it
because you want your team to play the way you want. As a leader, sometimes you
are not thinking about personal relationships with the other guy [but] just
because you are leading a team, you have to do it,” he said.

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Gambhir,
who was Kohli’s teammate in the 2011 World Cup, heaped praise on the former
Royal Challengers Bangalore and India captain Kohli for the impressive
transformation he has shown both as an athlete and as a person.

“That’s
why there was nothing personal [then] and there never will be personal against
Virat Kohli. And I say it again and again that what he’s achieved, I am
absolutely not surprised. That’s the kind of player he was when we saw him
early but what he’s transformed into, I think from a fitness point of view and
the way he’s worked on his skills is tremendous.”

Also Read: Not Kohli or Dhoni: RCB skipper Du Plessis set to lead in his own style

In
September 2021, Kohli stepped down as RCB skipper after leading the franchise
for seven years. In the upcoming season, Kohli will play for RCB under the
leadership of Faf du Plessis. RCB will play their IPL 2022 campaign opener
against Punjab Kings on March 27.