"If I had to learn something from Virat Kohli, it would be his dance moves"- Gautam Gambhir [SK Match Ki Baat Exclusive]
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli have often been in the headlines because of some of their heated exchanges on the field in the past.
However, Gambhir has great respect for Kohli and has been vocal about how competitive the two individuals are to let their respective teams win the game.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda on SK Match ki Baat, Gautam Gambhir cheekily mentioned he would love to learn a few dance steps from Virat Kohli. He said:
"Even if I want to, I cannot pull off even one move. So if I had to learn something from Virat, it would be his dance moves (smiles)."
Gautam Gambhir recently had a friendly hug with Kohli on the field during a strategic timeout when KKR played RCB in Bengaluru. The video went viral and Kohli hilariously mentioned at a promotional event that it would have disappointed a lot of people that the duo didn't have a heated exchange.
Gambhir agreed with Kohli and opined that the media just wanted to show a rift between the two to gain traction.
"It is all about TRPs. Media has got no clue what kind of a person I am, what kind of a person Virat is. All the media wants to do is create hype. But hype can also be created in a positive way," Gambhir said.
He added:
"I absolutely second what Virat said. Logon ka masala nahi mila toh (The gossip bit is over for people). As I said, when two people are matured enough, I don't think so anyone has got any right to interfere between two people's life or their relationships because ultimately, it is between two of them."
Ahead of the reverse fixture between KKR and RCB at the Eden Gardens, both Kohli and Gambhir were again seen having a light chat on the sidelines of a practice session.
Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli's strike rate debate
There has been a lot of talk about strike rate in modern-day T20 cricket and many have questioned whether Virat Kohli's approach is suited to that demand despite the volume of runs he has.
However, Gautam Gambhir explained the importance of context in terms of match situation, conditions, and venue. He opined:
"Every player has a different game. What Maxwell can do, Kohli cannot and what Kohli can do, Maxwell cannot. You need to have different types of batters in your XI. If from No.1 to No.8 you stack it up with explosive batters, you may score 300 but also get bowled out for 30."
He added:
"When you win, even a strike rate of 100 is good. but when you lose despite having a strike rate of 180, no one talks about it. That is the reality. Strike rate is directly related to conditions, opposition, venue, match situation."
Virat Kohli is still the Orange Cap holder with 430 runs from nine innings at an average of 61.42 and a strike rate of 145.76 with a hundred and three half-centuries to his name.