Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were seen arguing verbally after the game in the IPL 2023 match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Virat and Gambhir each received fines equal to 100% of their match fees as a result of their behaviour. Notably, this is not the first time that Kohli and Gambhir have argued in the IPL.
However, after a similar incident occurred in 2013 while the Southpaw was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, the two of them have been charged up whenever they face off.
In an old video that has surfaced, Virat Kohli is presented with the MOM award
You guys know who Gautam Gambhir is ?? He gave his MoM award to Virat Kohli on his first century in international cricket such a gold hearted person he is and some people's are trolling him for his aggression. pic.twitter.com/if2E7lrfZ4
— RADHE ࿗ 𓃮 (@Iamradhe_p00) May 1, 2023
The friendship between the two cricketers, however, was entirely different in Virat’s early years of representing India. Gambhir supported him and gave Virat Kohli the Player of the Match award when the latter scored his first century in international play against Sri Lanka.
India needed a partnership at Eden Gardens as they chased 316 runs. After Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were both dismissed within the first four overs.
At that point, India defeated Sri Lanka in the fourth one-day international by seven wickets thanks to an important 224-run partnership between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. Notably, Kohli scored 107 runs off 114 deliveries while Gambhir was still unbeaten at 150.
Virat Kohli received the Player of the Match award from Gautam Gambhir during the post-game presentation. And Gambhir praised Kohli for his outstanding century. He said:
“I didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have done, he claimed. You might go on to score 100 international hundreds. I’m confident he will because that’s the kind of player he is, but you’ll always remember your first international hundred.”
He continued, “I recall my first international hundred, which was against Sri Lanka in my first ODI. And the first international 100 in Bangladesh. I wanted to make it special for him, and neither I nor anyone else should have held back.
That sums up both my character and the type of player he was. What he has achieved does not surprise me in the least, and I am confident that he will continue to make progress.”
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