5 Instances When Gautam Gambhir Criticised Virat Kohli For His Behaviour In The Field

Gautam Gambhir has been a charismatic servant of Indian Cricket. He managed some instrumental contributions in India’s World Cup-winning campaign in 2007 and 2011. He even helped the Kolkata franchise to win the Indian T20 League twice under his captaincy. On the other hand, Virat Kohli has been the top player for India in current years.

As a player and the skipper of India, he managed top contributions so far. However, Virat’s aggression has been the talk of the town always as it impressed fans. But, Gautam Gambhir has slammed such attitude of Virat Kohli in the field several times.       

Here are five such instances when Gautam Gambhir slammed Virat Kohli for his on-field behaviour 

South Africa vs India, Third Test, 2022

Virat Kohli in South Africa vs India, Third Test, 2022 (Image Source: Twitter)

During the third and last Test against the Proteas in Cape Town, Virat Kohli got angry over a DRS call. The third umpire denied the dismissal of Dean Elgar which did not go well with the former Indian skipper. He yelled at the stump mic and said: "Focus on your team as well and not just the opposition. Always trying to catch people."

Regarding that incident, Gautam Gambhir said: “No matter what you say, stuff like he plays with his heart on his sleeve, this reaction was an exaggerated one and you can’t be a role model in this manner. No budding cricketers would want to see this kind of reaction, especially from the Indian captain.”   

India vs New Zealand, 20-20 World Cup, 2021

Virat Kohli in India vs New Zealand, 20-20 World Cup, 2021 (Image Source: Twitter)

India had a disappointing 20-20 World Cup campaign in 20221 after losing against Pakistan and New Zealand. Then, they went on to win all remaining matches. But, it was not enough for them to get qualified for the next round. After the loss against the Kiwis, Gautam Gambhir slammed Virat Kohli and compared his attitude with Kane Williamson.

He said: “You don’t have to be on the face all the time. You don’t have to show your emotions , sometimes just your positivity and calmness can be equally positive the group as well. Kane doesn’t react to everything but look at the calmness. Just by reacting to everything doesn’t mean that you are more passionate than someone else.”

Bangalore franchise’s failure, 2021

Gautam Gambhir fights with Virat Kohli in a match in Indian T20 League (Image Source: Twitter)

During the Indian T20 League in 2021, Virat Kohli was the skipper of the Bangalore franchise. Thye finished third on the table after the group stage. However, they failed in the eliminator against Kolkata. After their exit from the tournament, Gautam Gambhir raised questions about Virat Kohli as a strategist.

He said: “Yes, you will often see the energy on the field from Virat, but that is not good enough to win trophies—for that you need to be a good tactician. He didn’t have the shrewdness that a captain requires on the cricket field. You have to be 1-2 overs ahead of the game rather than just go along with the game.” 

Regarding Virat Kohli’s captaincy, 2019

MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma for India (Image Source: Twitter)

Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India managed to do well across all formats. Though they did not win any major titles, still India performed like top teams around the globe. But, Gautam Gambhir said that Kohli was only successful as he had MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma by his side throughout his tenure.

He said: “Virat Kohli is a good captain for India only because he has MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma behind him. If you are talking about Kohli the captain, he would have won RCB an IPL title since he has taken over the captaincy eight years back. Most of the time his team RCB has finished on number 8.”

Regarding Virat Kohli’s On-field behaviour, 2018

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli for India (Image Source: Twitter)

The former Indian skipper has been always aggressive on the field. It has helped him to be involved in the game. But, Gautam Gambhir slammed Virat Kohli in 2018 for his on-field antics. He even advised that Kohli should not get personal with other players while showing aggressiveness.

Gambhir said: “I’ve always believed that aggression is fine. I think sledging is fine and aggression is fine till the time you do it within the rules of the game, till the time you don’t cross the limit and you don’t get personal. Because when you are captaining the country, you are a role model for the entire country, you are the ambassador for the country.”