‘Don’t say there is…’

Former cricketer Piyush Chawla praised Gautam Gambhir’s motivational leadership and dispelled rumors of tension with Virat Kohli. Chawla recalled a moment where Gambhir highlighted Kohli’s achievements, reinforcing his respectful demeanor despite his aggressive on-field persona.

Kolkata: Royal Challengers Bengaluru player Virat Kohli with Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir during a training session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, Saturday, April 20, 2024. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)(PTI)

The chemistry between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir has been much talked about due to their past quarrels and sudden closeness since Gambhir took over as India’s head coach.

But now former India cricketer Piyush Chawla has come out and told a story where Gambhir dispelled all rumours of an ongoing rift with Virat Kohli.

In an interaction with Shubhankar Mishra, Chawla first delved into Gambhir’s personality, stating, “You know what the best thing about Gauti bhai is? He will motivate you, give you a free hand and the way he backs you. If he sees that talent in you, he will back you even if you don’t do anything in all 14 games. If you can do it, he will back you which is a brilliant thing for any player,”

Talking about Gambhir’s aggressive on-field demeanour, Chawla added, “I played under him for 4-5 years – in fact, we played for India and India A together – the way he appears on the ground, aggressive and all, of it he is equally polite. The amount of fun I have interacting with him it just amazing. Gauti bhai, one of the best humans I have come across,”

Gautam Gambhir recalls Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI ton:

The leg-spinner also stated that Gambhir dispelled rumours of a tussle with Virat Kohli during an interaction when he recalled a key highlight of the veteran batsman’s 50th ODI century.

“I and Gauti bhai were doing a show. A question was asked, ‘when Virat completed his 50th century, which bowler did he take the single off? I couldn’t answer it, but Gambhir did it. He’s like, ‘now don’t say there’s any tiff. Gauti bhai is all class. He is one of the best,” Chawla added

Notably, Chawla and Gambhir have a long-standing relationship with the duo having represented India in two World Cups together. Chawla was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ dream run between 2012 and 2014 when the team won two IPL trophies under Gambhir’s leadership.