Virat Kohli vs Gautam Gambhir: A Look At The Decade Old Rivalry Between The Indian Cricket Stalwarts

03.05.2023 - 12:59 sports.ndtv.com

Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore faced each other in the 43rd match of IPL 2023 on Monday. The Faf du Plessis-led side successfully defended a small total of 126 for 9 against KL Rahul and company at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, thanks to their disciplined bowling attack.

Still, it could not become the highlight of the game as the Virat Kohli vs Gautam Gambhir spat hogged all the attention. The ugly scene ended in teammates of both the players coming in between to ease the matter down.

For the unversed, this was not the first time the two cricket legends were involved in an altercation and history has the proof! The start (IPL 2013) Going a decade back, one would witness a similar war of words between Kohli and Gambhir.

It was an RCB vs KKR game in 2013 IPL. Then RCB skipper Kohli was dismissed and his counterpart Gambhir said something to him.

cricket Lucknow Super Giants rivalry Virat Kohli Gautam Gambhir India Kolkata Bangalore

The IPL 2023 will surely be remembered for the rivalry between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After engaging into an on-field spat during their league-stage match, earlier this month, there's been plenty of social media activity to keep the fire burning. This rivalry does not seem to be stopping anytime soon, especially after Naveen-ul-Haq's Instagram activity. But, it isn't just the LSG pacer but also his franchise whose tweet has gotten Kohli and RCB's fans talking. The Faf du Plessis-led team was handed a six-wicket defeat by Gujarat Titans that also saw them failing to make their place in the Eliminator match against LSG.

IPL 2023 Playoffs: How Virat Kohli's RCB Can Face Gautam Gambhir's LSG For 3rd Time This Season

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season is nearing its business end, with franchises looking to put in error-free performances in order to end the league stage of the campaign in the top 4 spots. So far, defending champions Gujarat Titans are the only ones who have qualified for the next round while a total of seven teams are competing for the three remaining spots. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants are two of those teams who are still in the fray.

Watch: Virat Kohli Hits Bulls Eye In 'Hit The Target Session'. But There's A Twist

Virat Kohli left everyone in splits during a fun bowling session with his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammates - Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj. RCB on Monday shared a video on social media in which all the four players got a target to hit while bowling. While all the other players went through the fair way, Kohli came up with a smart but hilarious act. The former RCB captain kept running with the ball in hand and eventually hit the target by getting close to it.

LSG's Tweet On RCB's Win Over RR Triggers Epic Gautam Gambhir-Virat Kohli Memes

Royal Challengers Bangalore put in arguably their finest performance of the season, bundling out Rajasthan Royals for just 59 runs while defending their total of 171 in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match. In what was a must-win battle for both sides, the resounding victory gave RCB a big push in their hopes of a top-four finish. As fans went ga-ga over the Bengaluru franchise's performance against the Rajasthan, even Lucknow Super Giants took to Twitter to hail Faf du Plessis & Co. As a result, Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir memes flooded the internet.

Watch: Virat Kohli's Hilarious Response After Paps' "Anushka Sir" Gaffe

Star batter Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma stepped out for dinner at the cricketer's restaurant in Mumbai on Wednesday. Kohli opted for a printed shirt with a pair of black pants, while Anuskha was dressed in a classy, sleeveless top with a pair of white pants. In an attempt to get their perfect pictures, a paparazzo called out Virat and Anushka's names, hoping to get their attention. However, he ended up making a huge gaffe as he accidentally addressed Anushka as 'sir'.

"Grudges, Anger, Negativity...": Virat Kohli's Latest Insta Story Gives Rise To Speculations Again

While Virat Kohli has been one of the top run-getters in the IPL 2023, his on-field exchanges too have been much talked about. The major heated exchange that he had with Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir and pacer Naveen ul Haq during and after a match became a much publicised event. Though it has been over a week since the incident happened, cryptic posts by either side have kept the speculation going. Days after ugly scenes from the Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, LSG pacer Naveen a cryptic post on Instagram, seemingly taking a dig at Virat Kohli for the heated exchange the two recently had. Naveen, posting a picture with Gautam Gambhir, ignited another social media storm. The post also invited a comment from LSG mentor Gambhir.