Gambhir tells Kohli, ‘never thought of coaching India; enjoyed on-field fights’

The one thing that a lot of cricket fans had been waiting for ever since Gautam Gambhir became the head coach of the Indian cricket team was the interaction between him and batting great Virat Kohli. 

Gambhir, who took over from Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian team in all formats, said that he never thought he was going to coach any team and coaching India was too big a task to think about.

“Never thought about it. I never thought about coaching India, even a couple of months back, if you ask me, “ Gambhir told Kohli in a video posted by BCCI. “The reason–getting to represent your country once again. Coming back to the dressing room where you have done some special things, had great memories with all of you guys.”

“Also looking at the kind of tours we have got, you know, there is the Champions Trophy, the 50-over World Cup, the T20 World Cup. Sometimes you wanna just challenge yourself and keep pushing forward. That was the reason I think I can contribute,” added the 42-year-old. 

Gambhir also talked about how being in the ‘zone’ helps cricketers conquer their fears. “I remember you told me once that during the Australia tour (2014-15) you kept chanting Om Namah Shivay after every delivery,” said the former Kolkata Knight Riders mentor. Kohli nodded in affirmation, and then Gambhir continued. 

“Similarly, it was the same when I played in Napier. If I look back and ask can I once again bat two and a half days, I think I can never do that. The only thing I did for two and a half days was listen to Hanuman Chalisa. Very few times in your career you can be in that zone and it’s divine to be there.”

“I remember Laxman [VVS] telling me when I was batting on Day 5 at Napier that I did not utter a single word in the entire first session. All I did between overs was just nod.”

In 2009, Gambhir batted 436 balls, spending 643 minutes at the crease to score 137 runs in Napier and draw the match after India were asked to follow on

When Kohli brought out the topic of on-field altercations, both broke into laughter as they have had multiple on-field fights. Gambhir said, “I sometimes wanted it, honestly. Sometimes, that confrontation would get you in that zone. Sometimes down the line, when somebody says, ‘Do you regret the on-field confrontations?’ You and I would say not at all because that’s what got us the results.”

Gambhir’s first Test as India’s coach and Kohli’s first Test at home after the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023 will coincide when the Indian team takes on Bangladesh. 

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