Ravi Shastri, the India head coach, has rubbished reports of a rift between captain Virat Kohli and limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma, stating that a difference in opinion on team matters should not be termed a conflict.
“I feel it is absolute nonsense,” Shastri told Gulf News after India’s tour of the Caribbean. “Listen, I have been around the dressing room for the last five years. I have seen how the boys have played, and how they have complemented the team and know their work ethic. I have been there with them, and I know the way they play.
“If that [a rift] was the case, why would Rohit get five hundreds in the World Cup? Why would Virat do what he is doing? How would they have partnerships together?”
Rohit and Kohli were India’s leading run-scorers in the 2019 World Cup, aggregating a combined 1091 runs. The duo has notched up 17 100-run stands between them in ODIs, averaging 65.72, and have been an indispensable part of India’s limited-over success this decade.
“When a team is playing in this fashion over five years, it is important that you get behind the team and be positive rather than try and create any trouble,” Shastri added.
