Endearing pictures of Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir having a blast on Day 1 of 1st IND vs BAN 2024 Test go viral
A day after their interaction posted on BCCI's official website went viral, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir and senior batter Virat Kohli were seen enjoying each other's company on Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. Pictures of them laughing and having a lot of fun as they witnessed the opening day's action in the Test match are being shared on social media.
Bangladesh won the toss and sent India in to bat on Day 1 of the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, September 19. The hosts got off to a poor start, losing their first three wickets for 34 runs. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Kohli both fell for six, while Shubman Gill was dismissed for a duck.
India, however, made a strong comeback to finish the day at 339-6 as all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin (102* off 112) and Ravindra Jadeja (86* off 117) added an unbroken 195 runs for the seventh wicket.
While Ashwin and Jadeja grabbed headlines for their batting exploits, Kohli and Gambhir were in the spotlight for a different reason as their dressing room camaraderie grabbed eyeballs.
Team India captain Rohit also joined coach Gambhir and Kohli in enjoying some fun moments off the cricket field.
Kohli and Gambhir's heartwarming pre-series interaction
Two of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Kohli and Gambhir have often been at loggerheads on and off the cricket field over the years. However, they put an end to their so-called cold war with a warm embrace during IPL 2024. In an endeavor to take the bond further, both appeared in an interaction shared on bcci.tv.
At the start of the discussion, Kohli set things straight and commented:
"Here we are, we have come a long way, and putting an end to all the masala and all the spice. Gauti bhai, we have come a long way from playing together for a long time. Me coming into the team when you guys were obviously established and had that amazing dressing room that I became a part of, then playing a lot of cricket together and having our ups and downs..."
Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid as Team India's head coach after the latter's stint ended following the Men in Blue's triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The white-ball tour of Sri Lanka was his maiden assignment after taking over the key post in Indian cricket.