Weeks after his ugly spat with Virat Kohli during the IPL 2023 season, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has broken the silence on his relationship with the star RCB batter.

Notably, Gambhir and Kohli were involved in a heated exchange after the LSG versus RCB clash at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on May 1.

This is not the first time Gambhir and Kohli had a verbal duel on the field. During the 2013 edition of IPL, the two Delhi lads had an ugly face-off before they were separated by the other players.

In an interview with News 18, Gambhir clarified that there was nothing personal between him and Kohli. He also namedropped former India skipper MS Dhoni while making the statement.

“My relationship with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli is the same. If there is an argument between us, it stays only on the field, not off field. There’s nothing personal. They want to win as much as I do,” Gambhir stated.

In this year’s IPL, the altercation between Gambhir and Kohli started after the latter engaged in a war of words with Naveen-ul-Haq.

The LSG mentor said he stood up for Naveen in this instance as he felt that the LSG pacer had done nothing wrong.

“I will say only this, that I will endorse what I did for the person who was right in that instance. If I feel that Naveen-ul-Haq did nothing wrong, then it is my duty to stand with him. And I will do that till my last breath, even it is for Naveen-ul-Haq or anyone. If I feel you are right, I will stand with you. This is what I have been taught and will continue to do. This is how I have been living my life. A lot of people said a lot of things, that I am supporting Naveen-ul-haq and not our own player. It was not that this player is ours and that player is not. If my team’s player is wrong, I would not have sided with him," he remarked.

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir were reprimanded by the match referee after the game. Both of them were fined 100% of their match fees for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct.