Kohli Not Consulted Over Gambhir Appointment?

Virat Kohli was not consulted by the BCCI before naming Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the Indian team, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.

'Virat Kohli's much-talked-about, out-in-the-open, feisty on-field relationship with Gautam Gambhir did not become a hindrance in the former opener's appointment as India's new head coach as BCCI did not even consult the modern-day great,' said the Hindustan Times report.

'Kohli's opinion on the matter was not sought by the Indian cricket board before Gambhir's appointment was made public.'

'There is enough time for the two (Kohli and Gambhir) 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 told the Hindustan Times.

Interestingly, the BCCI kept Hardik Pandya in the loop over the decision giving clear indication that he is likely to take over as the India T20 captain in Rohit Sharma's place.

Gambhir was on Tuesday named head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, replacing Rahul Dravid. He will take charge of the team from the Sri Lanka white-ball series later this month.

Kohli and Gambhir haven't enjoyed a good on-field relationship over the years. They have been involved in several clashes on the field, the most recent being in IPL 2023 during a match between Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, which Gambhir then mentored, when they got involved in an ugly face-off after the match.

In IPL 2013 when Gambhir captained the Kolkata Knight Riders and Kohli led RCB, the two players had a near physical altercation before being separated by team-mates.

However, Kohli and Gambhir appeared to have buried the hatchet in this year's IPL when the duo exchanged a handshake during the game at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.

The broadcaster captured Gambhir embracing Kohli, prompting commentator Ravi Shastri to suggest that the scene deserved a fairplay award.