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‘They are very cordial’: BCCI secretary breaks silence on Gautam Gambhir–Virat Kohli rift rumours | Cricket News

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'They are very cordial': BCCI secretary breaks silence on Gautam Gambhir–Virat Kohli rift rumours
India’s Virat Kohli with Head Coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Speculation around the equation between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior batter Virat Kohli has refused to die down ever since Gambhir took charge of the national side. Their well-documented on-field run-ins during the Indian Premier League have continued to fuel chatter within the cricketing community, with suggestions that the two are still not entirely on the same page. Those claims, however, have now been firmly dismissed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who rubbished reports of any ongoing tension between the two high-profile figures.

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“I have never seen them (Kohli and Gambhir) fighting. They are in a very good cordial relationship,” Saikia said while speaking on the India Today podcast. Referring to their IPL history, Saikia added, “IPL? Maybe I didn’t see that match because I was with them when they were representing the country.” Gambhir’s tenure as head coach has coincided with significant phases in Kohli’s career. The former India captain announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2025, a decision that sparked widespread debate. More recently, Kohli’s place in India’s ODI plans for the 2027 World Cup has also been scrutinised, though much of that discussion has eased due to his outstanding run of form. At 37, Kohli is enjoying what many believe to be one of the richest purple patches of his ODI career, having struck three centuries and a score of 93 in his last six appearances for India. Questions around the Gambhir-Kohli relationship have also been linked to the BCCI’s tougher stance on senior players featuring in domestic competitions when not on international duty. Over the past year, Kohli returned to both the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy after long absences. Despite persistent rumours of friction, Gambhir and Kohli have already combined successfully at the highest level, playing key roles in India’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2025, an ICC title that underlined unity rather than discord within the setup.

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Shocking scenes at Davis Cup as Morocco fans throw bottles at Colombia team after player’s ‘shut up’ celebration causes controversy

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A Davis Cup tie between Columbia and Morocco recently witnessed some shocking scenes, as Colombian player Nicolas Mejia pulled out a controversial ‘shut-up’ celebration. The Moroccan audience was unimpressed by Mejia’s gestures and threw bottles on the court in retaliation.

On Sunday, February 8, Mejia took to court at the Union Sportive Marocaine Tennis Club in Casablanca against home player Reda Bennani. The match got off to an impressive start for the Colombian as he clinched an easy win in the opening set. While Bennani rallied in the second set, in the end it was Mejia who took the win 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. After his victory, the 25-year-old celebrated by shushing the crowd but the audience was quick to return fire, throwing bottles at the Columbian team.

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Watch a video of the moment below:

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The Davis Cup tie between Columbia and Morocco began on a strong note for the latter, with Rena Bennani beating Adria Soriano Barrera. However, things went downhill for Morocco from there, with Columbia clinching the next three matches to win the tie.

Nicolas Mejia defends himself after causing Davis Cup controversy between Colombia and Morocco

Mejia at the 2023 Davis Cup (Image Source: Getty)Mejia at the 2023 Davis Cup (Image Source: Getty)
Mejia at the 2023 Davis Cup (Image Source: Getty)

Nicolas Mejia’s celebration at the Davis Cup caused a fair amount of controversy, but the Columbian tennis star has defended himself against allegations of disrespect. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the World No.177 stated that the Moroccan crowd had threatened him and his family while maintaining ‘zero fair play’, writing,

“You don’t know what happened. All the time people threaten me and my family. Moroccan team on my face and trying to make people scream at me more every point. Zero fair play. Better get your facts before talking what you don’t know.”

In a separate post, Mejia agreed that his celebration hadn’t been the best, but maintained that his gestures were solely in response to insults he had been receiving, explaining,

“My celebration probably wasn’t the best, but I’d been putting up with insults against me and my family the whole match from the crowd, and insults from the opposing team and captain. I let it out, and that’s it. But I didn’t insult anyone.”

Nicolas Mejia is one of Colombia’s leading tennis players at the moment. Outside of the Davis Cup, the 25-year-old, who turned pro in 2019, makes regular appearances in ATP Challenger events and has achieved a career-high ranking of World No.168 earlier this year.