‘We’ve shared messages’: Gambhir on his equation with Virat Kohli

India’s newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed that he had shared messages with star Indian batter Virat Kohli following his appointment.

The on-field tussles between Gambhir and Kohli are well-documented with the two exchanging harsh words during IPL games.

However, Gautam Gambhir has now claimed that their relationship was based on mutual respect where they discuss several things related to the game.

Responding to a question about his ties with Kohli during his first press conference as India’s head coach, Gambhir said: “My relationship with Virat Kohli is between the two of us and not for TRP.”.

While asserting that they share a good relationship off the field, Gambhir reiterated that they will continue to do so despite their flare-ups in the past.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Gautam Gambhir added.

The newly-appointed coach also opened up on the future of Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian squad.

“I think they’ve shown what they can deliver on the big stage, whether it’s the T20 World Cup or the 50-over World Cup,” said Gambhir. “One thing I can be very clear of is that both those guys have a lot of cricket left in them.”

“More importantly, with the Champions Trophy and a big tour of Australia, obviously they would be motivated enough. Hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, the 2027 World Cup as well. But this is a very personal decision,” the former batter added.