Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has cleared the air regarding the alleged rift between him and his former teammate and captain MS Dhoni. Things became worse when Gambhir’s crucial 97 in the run chase in India’s 2011 World Cup win has often been overshadowed by Dhoni’s iconic match-winning six as well.

However, in an interaction with Jatin Sapru on his YouTube show ‘Over and Out’, Gambhir shared that the rumours about him disliking Dhoni are “b*****t”. He said that he’s always respected MS Dhoni and his contributions to Indian cricket, claiming that if ever in need, he’ll be the first person to stand by Dhoni as well.

Gambhir said: “It’s b*****t, it’s crap. See I have so much of mutual respect for him and it’ll always remain. I’ve said it on air, I’ll say it on your channel, I can say it anywhere in front of 138 crore people, that if ever in need, I hope he’s never in need, but if ever in need in life, I’ll be the first one standing next to him because of what he’s done for Indian cricket, what he’s as a human being.”

READ HERE: India will struggle if Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma don’t score, says Mohammad Hafeez

He further added: “See we can have differences in opinion, you might look at the game a different way, I might look at the game in a different way. I’ve got my own opinions, he’s got his own opinion. I’ve actually been the vice-captain the longest time when he was the captain… We’ve been rivals on the field when we played for our respective teams. But I’ve got so much mutual respect for him, for the kind of person, the kind of cricketer he is.”

However, apart from the 2011 World Cup, they both also played a major role in India’s win in the 2007 T20 World Cup and many bilateral matches across formats. While Gambhir has retired in 2018 after playing over 200 international games and leading KKR to two IPL titles, MS Dhoni is still the captain of the Chennai Super Kings. Apart from the controversies, Gambhir also opined on how Dhoni would have been a great cricketer had he batted up in the order in white-ball formats has also stood out over the years.

READ HERE: Gary Kirsten all set to work with Hardik Pandya

“And I can say it again, had he batted at No. 3, he would’ve broken all the records. We talk about some of the greats of No. 3 – he would’ve broken everything in white-ball cricket,” he concluded.