[In Pictures] Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir clicked with BJP leader Mithilesh Kumar Katheria at Delhi airport after IND vs BAN 2024 1st Test
Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and ace batter Virat Kohli have arrived in Delhi following the Men in Blue's 280-run win in the recently concluded Test series opener against Bangladesh in Chennai. The two were seen posing for pictures with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mithilesh Kumar Katheria at the airport.
Taking to the microblogging platform X, Katheria shared pictures of him standing alongside Gambhir and Kohli. Congratulating the two on India's comprehensive victory over Bangladesh, he wrote:
"आज भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम के महान बल्लेबाज विराट कोहली तथा भारतीय टीम के हेड कोच गौतम गंभीर से नई दिल्ली एयरपोर्ट पर आत्मिक भेंट कर बांग्लादेश के खिलाफ प्रथम टेस्ट मैच की जीत की हार्दिक बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं दी। (Today I had a hearty meeting with the great batsman of the Indian cricket team Virat Kohli and the head coach of the Indian team Gautam Gambhir at the New Delhi airport and extended my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for the victory in the first Test match against Bangladesh)."
It is worth mentioning that the ongoing two-match home Test series against Bangladesh is Gautam Gambhir's first red-ball assignment as the head coach of the Indian team. He was appointed as the new head coach after Rahul Dravid's stint ended following India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.
Virat Kohli failed to get going with the bat in the Chennai Test against Bangladesh, registering scores of 6 and 17. He will now be seen in action in the second and final Test of the series, which will be played in Kanpur from September 27.
"Big players often lose concentration against weak teams" - Basit Ali on Virat Kohli's underwhelming performance in Chennai Test
While Virat Kohli failed to fire with the bat in the Test series opener against Bangladesh, former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali is confident that the seasoned campaigner will regain his mojo soon.
He opined that big players like Kohli sometimes lose their concentration when playing against weaker opponents. Backing the 35-year-old to have a successful Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, Basit said in his latest YouTube live session:
"Virat will return to form against Australia. He will like the pacy wickets in Australia. Big players often lose concentration against weak teams but they do well against tougher oppositions."
India and Australia will battle it out for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year. The five-match series kicks off at Perth on November 22.