BCCI reportedly didn’t discuss Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of Indian cricket team with Virat Kohli. Notably, former India opener Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the new head coach of senior men’s team. Gambhir, a World Cup winner, took over the charge from Rahul Dravid, whose tenure came to an end after the successful completion of the T20 World Cup 2024. Gambhir will join the team on the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, scheduled for later half of July.
According to reports by Hindustan Times, former skipper and modern-day great Virat Kohli was not consulted by the BCCI before Gambhir’s appointment as Dravid’s successor. The report also suggested that a few names including Hardik Pandya were kept in loop regarding the same. A BCCI source told Hindustan Times that the cricket governing body wanted to look at the bigger picture rather than Kohli-Gambhir bonding.
The source said, “There is enough time for the two to have conversations over the table. But it was important for the BCCI to look at the big picture with many youngsters likely to feature in the coming years.” It is to be noted that Kohli has had feisty on-field relations with Gambhir and both were involved in an ugly spat during the 2023 edition of the IPL.
While both sides put an end to their rivalry in the latest season of the cash-rich league, Kohli’s opinion wasn’t sought as he is no longer a part of the T20I set up as well as given up captaincy a few years ago.