Kohli, who has been spending time with family since India’s T20 World Cup win on June 29, was on Thursday named in India’s ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka after earlier reports suggested he and skipper Rohit Sharma will skip the three-match series.But both will be part of the squad for the 50-over leg of the tour, in which Rohit will continue to lead the team. Suryakumar Yadav was named the T20 captain since Rohit has retired from T2OIs.Kohli and Gambhir have had on-field disagreements and even came eye to eye on multiple occasions in the Indian Premier League, but as stated in the Cricbuzz report, “Kohli is believed to have stated that previous issues will not affect their professional relationship in the dressing room” and that he has “communicated this clearly to the relevant BCCI officials”.
The report also states that discussions on the issue were possibly held after the T20 World Cup final.
The Sri Lanka tour will be Gambhir’s first assignment as India’s head coach since he replaced Rahul Dravid in the role. Dravid’s tenure ended after the T20 World Cup last month.
The way Kohli and Gambhir, whose last appointment as Kolkata Knight Riders’ mentor helped the franchise win IPL 2024, approach their cricket, both are cut from the same cloth. They like to wear heart on sleeve while representing the county and don’t shy away from letting their joy or displeasure be known, even in the public eye.
No coach or player likes to lose, but with Gambhir, that narrative goes a little further with the added, intense patriotic fervour he brings to the dressing room. On that note, again, Gambhir is not different to Kohli, or vice versa, and maybe a step ahead.
When those things combine for the common cause, which is winning matches and trophies for India, it can make the team invincible in all formats, with Kohli part of Tests and ODIs only going ahead, having quit the T20Is.
