Ravi Shastri responded to the rumours of the alleged rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The reports of an alleged rift between them made headlines on a few occasions in 2019/20.
The news was never confirmed and Team India continued to excel under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. He continues to lead Team India across formats and is assisted by Rohit Sharma in white-ball cricket. Rohit Sharma has also led Team India on several occasions in Virat Kohli’s absence.
Ravi Shastri Never Saw An Alleged Rift Between Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli
In an exclusive conversation with Times Network’s Group Editor Navika Kumar, head coach Ravi Shastri addressed the rumours of the alleged rift between the two players. As per Ravi Shastri, there was never any problem between the two players and that he would have corrected it if there would have been any.
“I never saw it. So when people used to ask me like this, I say what you have seen I have not seen. The coordination has always been there. I have never seen it affecting the team. If I see an effect in the team, I will say on Virat or Rohit’s face that this is not on and you have to look at things differently. But not once have I seen it impacting the team from day 1. I am a person who says what I want,” Shastri told Times Now.
At present, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in the UK along with Team India and are getting ready to face England in the fourth and penultimate Test from September 2 (Thursday), at Kennington Oval, London. The five-match Test series is currently levelled at 1-1.
Virat Kohli Too Had Denied The Rift
Following the 2019 World Cup, Virat Kohli was also asked about the alleged rift and the Indian skipper had denied such reports.
“I too have heard a lot. Dressing room atmosphere is important to succeed. If this (rumour of the rift) was true, we would not have performed well. It’s ridiculous to read such news. We are overlooking faces. We are turning blind eyes towards good things. It’s disrespectful to bring such news. You’ll come to the changing room and see how we are. We cant show you videos. It baffles you as a team member and the captain,” he had said.
Virat Kohli continues to lead Team India and is assisted by Rohit Sharma in white-ball format. Rohit Sharma, a five-time IPL-winning captain, has also captained the Men in Blue to victories in Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy(2018). Talking of Ravi Shastri, the former India all-rounder is set to move on from the head coach’s position after the conclusion of the 2021 T20 World Cup. He has been serving as Team India’s head coach since 2017.
Head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and batting coach Vikram Rathour are all set to move on after the T20 World Cup to be held across October-November in the UAE.