Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during 2011 World Cup felicitation ceremony. [Getty Images]

Team India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir and star batter Virat Kohli engaged in a fun chat during a practice session ahead of the opening ODI against Sri Lanka. The match is scheduled to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2.

As per reports, Kohli was supposed to be rested for the white-ball leg in Sri Lanka. However, Gambhir was keen to have both India captain Rohit Sharma and Kohli as the Men in Blue just six ODIs in the run-up to the 2025 Champions Trophy.

In a video doing the rounds on X, Gambhir and Kohli were seen engaged in a funny chat on the ground. Notably, they were part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad. The two Delhi lads were engaged in a heated argument during IPL 2023 but kept aside their differences during IPL 2024.

Watch the video below:

Gautam Gambhir began his coaching era after a 3-0 series win against Sri Lanka in T20Is. The 42-year-old would now hope that the senior team emulates the performance in the 50-over format.

“We keep getting better, we keep improving our skills” – Gautam Gambhir reacts to India’s 3-0 win against Sri Lanka

Gautam Gambhir has lauded the Suryakumar Yadav-led side for their performance in the T20I series. He urged the players to keep improving their skills.

Speaking to the players in a video released by BCCI, Gambhir said (via Hindustan Times):

“We keep getting better, we keep improving our skills as well because we still need to get better on playing on wickets like these, because we might end up getting these kind of wickets (in future).

“So, we should first assess the situation and conditions really quickly and what is the par score as well,” he added.

Gautam Gambhir also fired a warning to the T20I-bound players regarding fitness standards, saying:

“Some of the guys will not be a part of the 50-overs format will have a longer break, so make sure when you come back for the Bangladesh series…you can take a break. You absolutely deserve it, but more importantly, keep your skills and especially the fitness levels high.”

“You don’t want to come for that series thinking that ‘okay, I can just turn up, probably deliver for the team’. So, make sure that from the fitness point of view, the fitness levels are right up there,” Gambhir added.