‘You two are the most senior cricketers’ – Ex India fielding coach reveals how Ravi Shastri handled Virat-Rohit saga
Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (Image Credit: Twitter)
During Ravi Shastri‘s coaching tenure, there was a time when the rumors of a rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were high. It all started after the 2019 ODI World Cup in which India lost the semifinal to New Zealand. Since then, it was reported in the media that both India stalwarts were having a rift as far as the leadership is concerned.
Not to forget, Sharma was Kohli’s deputy in white-ball cricket at the time. Meanwhile, India’s fielding coach at the time, R Sridhar has revealed a lot of secrets about his stint with the Indian team. He worked with the team from 2014 till the 20-20 World Cup 2021. Meanwhile, the former Hyderabad spin bowler has touched upon the alleged Virat vs Rohit saga in the dressing room
“After the 2019 World Cup, there was a lot of bad press about what allegedly happened in the dressing room during our campaign and following our loss to New Zealand in the semifinal. We were informed that there was a Rohit camp and a Virat camp, that someone had unfollowed another on social media – stuff that could be unsettling if you allowed it to fester,” Sridhar wrote in ‘Coaching Beyond’.
Ravi Shastri demanded Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to enjoy each other’s success: R Sridhar
Sridhar added that after the team landed in the USA, Shastri spoke to Kohli and Rohit. The former further revealed that Shastri asked the duo to be on the same page for the sake of the team.
“We landed in the United States (US) some 10 days after the World Cup for a T20 series against West Indies in Lauderhill. One of the first things Ravi did on arrival was to call Virat and Rohit to his room and impress upon them that for Indian cricket to be healthy, they needed to be on the same page. ‘Whatever happened on social media, that’s all fine, but you two are the most senior cricketers so this must stop,’ Ravi said in his typical non-nonsense manner. ‘I want you to put all this behind and get together for us to move forward'”.
