Kohli, Gambhir put an end 'to all the masala' in 'never-seen-before' interview

Sep 18, 2024, 11:25 IST

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) The BCCI set the internet abuzz on Wednesday with a teaser of a "never-seen-before" freewheeling interview, featuring former India captain Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who have joined hands to "put an end to all the masala" surrounding their long-rumoured rift.

Kohli and Gambhir, who have played together for Team India across formats, had some famous altercations on the field on quite a few occasions in the past, particularly in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which made headlines.

BCCI shared the teaser of an interview on X with a caption, "A Very Special Interview. Stay tuned for a deep insight on how great cricketing minds operate. TeamIndia’s Head Coach @GautamGambhir and @imVkohli come together in a never-seen-before freewheeling chat."

Now that the two share the dressing room as coach and player in the Indian team, they have moved past old feuds. In the 1 minute, 40 second video clip, which racked up over 185,000 views, Virat said, "We have come along way to put an end to all the masala."

Gambhir, who burst into laughter, added, "That's a good start to the conversation."

In a video, Kohli and Gambhir could be seen discussing their on-field altercations with opposing players over the years.

Kohli asked Gambhir about the zone he goes into whenever he gets involved into an altercation with a player on the field. "When you are batting and you have a bit of a chat with the opposition, did you ever feel like this might carry on to you going out of the zone and potentially getting out, or it put you in a more motivated state?" Kohli asked Gambhir.

The India head coach gave a cheecky reply, saying, "You have had more altercations than I have. I think you can answer that question better than I can."

"Main to ye dhund raha hun ki koi meri baat se agree kar jaye. Ye nahi bol raha ki galat hai. Koi to bole haan, yahi hota hai (I am just looking for validation. I am not saying that it is wrong. I want someone to say, 'yes this is what happens'," Virat replied with a laugh.

Gambhir also praised Kohli for his superb batting show in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. "I remember when you had that bumper series on Australia where you scored heaps and heaps of runs and that got you in touch zone. And for me, it was exactly the same when I played in Napier.

"And if I look back, can I bat for another two and a half days? I don’t think so. I could have ever done that again. And I have never been in that zone ever in my life after that. So, I can imagine how good that feeling is to be in that zone. And I’m sure you must have experienced this many more times as compared to what I have,” Gambhir said.

When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object—cricket’s greatest paradox, personified! 👌 👌

Presenting an iconic interaction between #TeamIndia Head Coach @GautamGambhir & the legendary @imVkohli 👏 👏 - By @RajalArora & @Moulinparikh #INDvBAN | @IDFCFIRSTBank

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 18, 2024