Gautam Gambhir is set to begin his coaching career with the Indian cricket team during the white-ball series against Sri Lanka which is set to begin on July 27.
India will play three T20Is and as many ODIs against the Islanders and Gambhir is eager to start his managerial career on a high note with a win in both series.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads for the white-ball tour on Thursday. Suryakumar Yadav was named the captain for T20I series while Rohit Sharma cut short his vacations and was included in the ODI squad.
Virat Kohli, who is currently enjoying his vacation in London, will also be in action during the three-ODI series as Gambhir wanted senior players to participate in his first series as a head coach.
Kohli and Gambhir had some unpleasant encounters in the past, especially during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season where the two were engaged in a brawl during the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
However, in IPL 2024, the two met during a match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and RCB, where Kohli hugged Gambhir and cleared the air on a longtime feud.
Cricbuzz reported that Kohli communicated his message to BCCI that his previous problems with Gambhir will not be an issue nor will they affect their professional relationship.
“Kohli is believed to have stated that previous issues will not affect their professional relationship in the dressing room. Following the (T20) World Cup final in Barbados, discussions were reportedly held on the matter. Kohli, who, like Gambhir, is from Delhi, assured the concerned parties that he recognises both are working towards the country’s interests and is ready to move on from earlier disagreements,” the Cricbuzz report stated.
India's squads for Sri Lanka series
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana
- Virat Kohli
- Gautam Gambhir
