A notable incident involving Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir occurred during the first ODI of the series between the India national cricket team and the South Africa national cricket team.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen staring at legendary batsman Virat Kohli after his slow celebration after opener Rohit Sharma’s half-century in the match at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shine in Ranchi
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their return to international cricket on home soil in the opening match of the ODI series against the South Africa national cricket team on Sunday, November 30.
Batting first, India lost the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal early, leading to Virat Kohli coming into the middle and joining Rohit Sharma. The duo continued their batting dominance in the Sydney ODI against Australia National Cricket Team and thrashed the Proteas.
Rohit Sharma usually attacks the bowlers, but things were quite different in the Ranchi ODI as Virat Kohli looked equally aggressive and took on the Proteas bowlers.
Kohli was the first player in the match to complete his half-century off 48 balls, and then Rohit Sharma reached the milestone in 43 balls as the Proteas were sent on the backfoot early in the innings.
As soon as Rohit Sharma raised his bat to celebrate after scoring his half-century, the cameras panned towards the Indian dressing room, where Gautam Gambhir was seen clapping for the former Indian captain.
However, as the camera focused on the middle again, Virat Kohli was looking straight towards the Indian dressing room. It seemed as if he was looking towards death because there was no smile on his face.
Fans speculated that Kohli was actually staring at Gautam Gambhir, which shows that he still has a lot of cricket left in him and will continue to perform. However, there is also a possibility that the stare by Kohli was nothing but a routine glance.
Fans furious after Virat Kohli’s death in Ranchi ODI
The cameraman deserves a pay rise
Kohli is staring at Gambhir pic.twitter.com/yI8aDU3ft7
– Kanishka (@jeene2yarr) 30 November 2025
After the 100-run partnership, Kohli looked straight at Gambhir with deadly eyes in the dressing room. full movie pic.twitter.com/9CR6IhKB1O
-Aditya (@Wxtreme10) 30 November 2025
King Kohli’s eyes #INDvSA #ViratKohli #kingkohli pic.twitter.com/n7eGuchnpM
– Vishal (@vishal130908) 30 November 2025
But when you surpass the great Sachin Tendulkar, you know where you stand – Sunil Gavaskar
Speaking after Virat Kohli’s sensational century, batting great Sunil Gavaskar praised him lavishly and said that he is the greatest ODI batsman, even better than the God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar.
“I don’t think there is any doubt about it,” Gavaskar said on air, as quoted by Hindustan Times. “I mean, it’s not just me, I think people who have played with and against him all agree that he is the greatest in the one-day format. Look, you get 52 centuries, that really puts you right up there in the stratosphere, so to speak.”
“I’ve just heard Ricky Ponting say he was the best in one-day cricket. So, I mean, when someone, an Australian captain…they would agree that getting praise from an Australian is rare, very rare. Very, very difficult. So, if an Australian says that, you know, he was the best, I don’t think there’s any logic to that.”
“Sachin is absolutely at the top with 51 centuries. But when you go past the great Sachin Tendulkar, you realize where you stand.”
Also read: Harshit Rana gave a rude farewell to Dewald Brevis, Virat Kohli also included – is he going to get punishment from ICC?
