[Watch] “I can understand why” – Virat Kohli recalls Gautam Gambhir's elbow incident with Shane Watson in 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former India captain Virat Kohli recently reminisced about the national team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir’s infamous elbow incident with Shane Watson from the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli said he wouldn't ask Gambhir about the details owing to their similar aggressive style. The duo hail from Delhi and have played together for Team India across formats.
For the unversed, Gambhir was banned for one Test after he stuck an elbow into Shane Watson’s chest during the third game of the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Delhi. The incident happened while Gambhir completed his second run en route to a double century. Watson was seen shoving a clenched fist towards Gambhir during the first run.
Following the incident, Gambhir was charged with a level two offense under the spirit of the game. Meanwhile, Watson was fined 10 percent of his match fee following a hearing with match referee Chris Broad.
Speaking about the encounter, Kohli said:
“I won't talk about the elbow because I can understand why the elbow would have happened.”
Watch the video below (from 12:09 onwards):
“I didn’t do that intentionally” – Gautam Gambhir on Shane Watson’s elbow incident in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Gautam Gambhir, in an interview from 2020, claimed that he didn’t elbow Shane Watson intentionally. He told Star Sports (via IndiaTV):
“Shane Watson! And the reason is I didn’t do that intentionally. Actually, I got banned after that game. A lot of people say that I elbowed him, but I didn’t do that purposely.”
“When I was going for the hearing to the match, Gary Kirsten told me to accept it as it is Chris Broad. He will give you extra sympathy and he is not going to ban you. I went inside with Gary Kirsten and he asked if you accept your mistake. I said ‘Yes’ and he said you are banned,” he added.
Gambhir joined as India’s head coach after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Under his coaching, Suryakumar Yadav-led India won the T20I series 3-0 in Sri Lanka. However, the Rohit Sharma-led side lost the ODI series 0-2 after the opening game ended in a tie.
Gautam Gambhir will now coach India for the first time in Test cricket. Team India are set to play the first of a two-match Test series against Bangladesh at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai starting September 19.