Former Delhi cricketer Rajat Bhatia, who is on commentary duties for the ongoing Delhi v Railways Ranji Trophy match, recalled the fight between his two Delhi teammates Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during an IPL match.
Virat Kohli made his much-anticipated return to domestic red-ball cricket on Thursday, playing for Delhi against Railways in the team's final Ranji Trophy league match.
While Kohli went on to become one of the contemporary era's greatest players, he also had a tumultuous relationship with one of his XI teammates, Gambhir.
The two hot-headed players argued several times throughout the Indian Premier League, and their brawl during the 2013 IPL season raised serious worries about their relationship given that the two were international teammates at the time.
Rajat Bhatia, a former Delhi player who shared a dressing room with Kohli, separated the two during the IPL match. Bhatia played for the Gambhir-led Kolkata Knight Riders, whereas Kohli represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
As Kohli returned to domestic red-ball cricket, Bhatia made a sly joke about how he is better recognized as a mediator between the two stalwarts than for his own performances.
“People know me largely because I stopped a fight between two people. They remember that about me, more than my performances. Now, one has a stand, the other has a pavilion (laughs). There are small confrontations in every team. Even in Delhi's Ranji team, there used to be. But you don't have to continue that. Today, one is the head coach and the other is a key part of the team,” Bhatia said on air.
Coming to the match, Virat Kohli failed to leave a mark on the game, as he was clean bowled for 6 runs by Himanshu Sangwan.
Kohli joined Delhi's Ranji team following a difficult few months with the bat; the India batsman failed to register a single half-century and scored only one century in ten Tests (5 at home, 5 away).