Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legend Virat Kohi opened up on his longtime feud with Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) mentor, Gautam Gambhir, saying that the two aren’t kids.
Kohli, known for his aggression on the field, has displayed the calm side of his nature in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and is surprised at the public’s reaction towards it.
In the IPL 2023, Kohli was engaged in massive brawls with Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq and Gambhir. However, that hasn’t been the case as the 35-year-old had a heartfelt moment with his former teammate earlier in the match between RCB and KKR.
Kohli was present at a private event where he expressed that he was actually surprised that people were not happy that he hugged Gambhir to end their fight.
"People are very disappointed with my behaviour. I hugged Naveen, and then the other day, Gauti bhai [Gautam Gambhir] came and hugged me. The thrill is over so you're booing. We're not kids anymore," he said during a private event.
Earlier in the match between RCB and KKR, Kohli came as an opener for RCB and stayed till the end, scoring 83 off 59 balls with eight boundaries as his side posted 182-6 in the allocated overs. The two met in the 16th over when KKR’s mentor, Gautam Gambhir, walked on the field to give instructions to his side during the strategic timeout.
Seeing Gambhir coming towards him, Kohli approached the former batter with a handshake after which the two hugged and shared some words which brought a smile to everyone’s face.
The story consisting of the two goes all the way back to IPL 2023 when Kohli and Gambhir were in the headlines following their heated encounter and a verbal spat at the end of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Gambhir’s previous side, vs RCB match.
The players along with match officials had to intervene to stop the heated argument between the two. Kohli hugging Gambhir reminded everyone of the time when the 35-year-old hugged Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq in IPL 2023 and asked the crowd to stop booing him.
- Virat Kohli