'Country doesn't need to know my relationship with Virat Kohli': Gautam Gambhir refuses to give 'masala'

Gautam Gambhir also lauded Virat Kohli-starrer RCB for making a stunning comeback in the playoff race at IPL 2024.

When Virat Kohli shared a warm embrace with former teammate Gautam Gambhir - 'masala' was over for the trolls. Years after being at loggerheads with each other, Kohli and Gambhir exuded bonhomie in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). While Kohli remained the face of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gambhir returned 'home' as the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), ending the franchise's title drought.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricketer Virat Kohli and KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir during a practice session (PTI)

With Gambhir as their mentor, Shreyas Iyer's KKR were crowned champions of the IPL for the third time. In the one-sided final, they thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to lift the famous trophy in the den of defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). A title-winning run at the IPL also made Gambhir a frontrunner for the Indian team's head coach role. The former KKR skipper is tipped to replace Rahul Dravid as India's next head coach after the ICC T20 World Cup.

After a title-winning season coming to an end, Gambhir picked Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma's record-opening partnership and Mayank Yadav's fiery spell as his favourite moments of the IPL 2024. The former KKR skipper lauded RCB for recording back-to-back six wins to enter the playoff stage of the IPL. The multiple-time IPL winner also opened up about his bond with RCB icon - Kohli.

'My relation with Virat Kohli is…'

"The perception is far away from the reality. My relation with Virat Kohli is something this country doesn't need to know. He has as much right as I do to express himself and help our respective teams win. Our relation is not to give masala to public," Gambhir told Sportskeeda. Gambhir also reserved special praise for Kohli as the KKR mentor saluted the six-hitting prowess of the former RCB skipper.

‘People are very disappointed with my behaviour’

Earlier, the RCB opener recalled his headlining act with Gambhir in the IPL 2024. "People are very disappointed with my behaviour. I hugged Naveen, and then the other day, Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) came and hugged me. Your masala is over so you're booing. We're not kids anymore," Kohli mentioned in an event organised by Asian Paints. Kohli topped the batting charts in the IPL 2024 with 741 runs in 15 games. The former India skipper won the prestigious Orange Cap this season. Kohli will next be seen at the T20 World Cup.