'I always see them talking...': India coach rubbishes rumours of rift between Gambhir and Ro-Ko

India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has played down rumours of a rift between head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Kotak made it clear that there is no miscommunication and that discussions between the coach and senior players happen often.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand, Kotak said Rohit and Kohli are always involved in conversations with Gambhir about the team’s plans, especially in the ODI format. He added that discussions have also taken place about future tournaments, including the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

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India coach clears air on rumours of rift

Kotak said he has personally seen the senior players talking with the coach many times. He added that while social media keeps spreading different stories, he prefers to ignore most of them. According to him, what happens inside the team environment is very different from what is projected outside.

“Most of the time I’m there and if I’m listening. They definitely share the experience and I always see them talking. Obviously, in social media, you see a lot of things which I try to avoid seeing. They are thorough professionals. So I don’t think they need to be saying they need to do this or that. In fact, the amount of experience they have, they can share a lot of ideas with other players and they do discuss,” he said.

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“See, both of them are so senior and so experienced. They definitely make plans. They want to practice at all the venues. If they feel they need to, they’ll go a couple of days in advance. They practice because they both also have been such outstanding players for India. Planning-wise and all, they are brilliant. They know what they need to do. They know what their body needs, not only batting, even fitness, whatever requirements they have,” he added.

Rumours of a possible rift between the team management and the two stalwarts began after Rohit and Kohli retired from Test cricket and Shubman Gill took over as India’s captain. There were also reports suggesting that the board had to step in to improve communication between selectors, team management and senior players.

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Meanwhile, Rohit and Kohli continue to impress with their performances. Since the South Africa series, Kohli has been in excellent form, scoring two centuries and three fifty-plus scores. Rohit may not have scored big runs consistently, but he has also looked confident at the crease.