Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach of the Indian cricket team, celebrates his 43rd birthday today. Gambhir is best known for his standout performances in two major ICC white ball finals. He played pivotal roles by scoring 97 runs in the ODI World Cup 2011 and 76 runs in the T20I World Cup 2007, which are key highlights in Indian cricket history.
Gambhir’s passion for cricket is well-known.He often displays his competitive side on the field, which has led to several heated exchanges.
As Gambhir celebrates his birthday, here are Gautam Gambhir’s top 5 heated exchanges driven by his competitive zeal.
1. Gautam Gambhir vs Andre Neil
In an ODI match between India and South Africa, India was set a target of 170 runs. During the chase, India lost an early wicket, putting pressure on the team. Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan were on the field, facing the South African bowler Andre Neil.

Neil delivered a bouncer to Gambhir, who responded by pulling the ball to secure a boundary. Following this, Neil stared at Gambhir, who did not back down. The tension increased when Gambhir hit another boundary in the same over, leading to an exchange of words between the two players. The umpires had to intervene to address the verbal spat.
2. Gautam Gambhir vs Shahid Afridi
During the 3rd ODI match of Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007, a notable incident occurred in the 19th over involving Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi. Gambhir, who had been struggling to score freely, hit a boundary off Afridi’s delivery. Afridi responded by sledging, to which Gambhir also reacted.

Later in the same over, an LBW appeal against Gambhir was turned down. As Gambhir ran towards the non-striker’s end to take a quick single, he collided with Afridi. This collision led to an increase in the heated exchange of words between the two players.
3. Gautam Gambhir vs Virat Kohli
During an IPL match in 2013, a notable incident occurred involving Kolkata Knight Riders‘ captain Gautam Gambhir and Royal Challengers Bangalore‘s captain Virat Kohli.

The clash took place after Kohli was dismissed, caught by Eoin Morgan off Laxmipati Balaji’s bowling. As Kohli was walking back to the pavilion, he had a heated exchange of words with Gambhir.
4. Gautam Gambhir vs Kamran Akmal
During the fourth match of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan, Gautam Gambhir displayed strong performance by scoring a half-century. India was chasing a target of 267 runs and had reached 100 runs for the loss of two wickets. Pakistan’s wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, was seen making frequent appeals on missed shots.
At one point, during Saeed Ajmal’s last ball before the drinks break, Akmal appealed vigorously following another missed shot. However, the umpire turned down the appeal and called for a drinks break.

During the break, there was an exchange of words between Gautam Gambhir and Kamran Akmal. The situation was resolved after the intervention of the umpire and Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Gambhir, who continued to play after the incident, scored 83 runs and contributed significantly to India’s victory in the match.
5. Gautam Gambhir vs Virat Kohli
Gautam Gambhir, who retired from cricket and became a mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022, recently found himself involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli during a match between LSG and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The incident occurred at the end of the game while players were shaking hands. Words were exchanged between LSG bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and Kohli. Gambhir intervened, intending to diffuse the situation, but it escalated into a confrontation between Kohli and him.
The LSG players attempted to separate them, and Kohli appeared to be trying to calm things down. However, Gambhir remained agitated. LSG leg-spinner Amit Mishra then stepped in to help control the situation.

The altercation may have roots in Kohli’s animated behavior during RCB’s bowling stint. RCB defended a total of 126 runs, and Kohli made a ‘silence’ gesture to the crowd after catching Krunal Pandya out early in LSG’s run-chase.
Tensions flared again in the 17th over of LSG’s innings, leading to an argument between Kohli and Naveen, which required on-field umpires and Mishra to intervene.