Last Updated:February 01, 2025, 20:28 IST

Rajat Bhatia has expressed how people only remember him for stopping the 2013 IPL spat between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir and not his cricket.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Rajat Bhatia has made a sensational claim while recalling the infamous altercation between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.

The incident happened during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 season during a match between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli and Gambhir were engaged in a spat and the two rushed at each other. Bhatia, playing for KKR at the time, was the first to intervene and separate the two players.

Bhatia reminisced about the incident on air during the commentary for the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Railways.

“Mujhe sab log iss liye jaante hain ki maine do logon ki fight rukwayi thi, mere cricket ke wajah se nahi, (People mostly know me for stopping the fight between two players, not because of my performances),” Rajat Bhatia shared during the broadcast.

Bhatia was part of the IPL-winning KKR sides in 2012 and 2014. Overall in the tournament, Bhatia featured in 87 games and scored 334 runs at a strike rate of 125.56. He has 61 wickets to his name in the IPL.

He also made 112 appearances in first-class cricket. The all-rounder has 6482 runs and 137 wickets under his belt in first-class matches. In List A, he recorded 3038 runs with 93 wickets in 119 games.

In the Ranji Trophy 2007-08 season, Bhatia played a key role in guiding Delhi to the title. He had played a fine knock of 139 in the Ranji Trophy final that season against Uttar Pradesh.

Bhatia announced his retirement from all formats of the game in 2020.

Meanwhile, Kohli and Gambhir are now working together in the Indian cricket team. Gambhir was appointed head coach of Team India last year.

Kohli recently returned to domestic cricket to play for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Railways.

The Indian cricket team is now taking part in a T20I series against England. India has already sealed the five-match T20I series. The final fixture of the series is scheduled to be played on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.