BCCI’s Rajeev Shukla denies rift between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, says ‘rubbish’ being spread by media

Relations between India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir appear to have nosedived in recent weeks, especially during the tour of Australia in which the Indian team suffered a 1-3 series defeat to surrender the Border-Gavaskar Trophy . Senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official Rajeev Shukla, however, denied reports of a rift between the two, or between Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, while also extending his support for Rohit, who has been out of form since September.

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Rohit and Gambhir had shared cold vibes during a training session in Sydney ahead of the fifth Test against Australia, with the two barely speaking to each other. This was after Gambhir’s explosive dressing room speech after the 184-run loss in the ‘Boxing Day Test’ in Melbourne, in which he issued a warning to non-performers in the team, was leaked to the press.

“It’s completely wrong statement, there is no rift between chairman of selection and coach, there is no rift between captain and coach. This is all rubbish which is being spread in a section of media,” Shukla was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Rohit has had a horrid run as a batter in the last five months, scoring just one half-century since September and accumulating just 31 runs in three matches in the marquee Test series against Australia at a miserable average of 6.2.

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He has also endured six defeats in his last seven Tests as captain, including a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home, leading to calls for him to not only be removed from leadership but to be dropped from the format altogether along with fellow struggling senior Virat Kohli.

“This is also wrong that Rohit has insisted on captaincy. He is the captain. Form or lack of form is part and parcel of the game. These are phases, nothing new. When he saw he is out of form, he dropped himself from the fifth Test,” added the BCCI vice-president.

Rohit had opted out of the fifth Test in Sydney, handing over the reins of the team to pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who had led the Indians to a 295-run victory in Perth in his absence. The ‘Hitman’, however, had made it clear that he was not retiring from the red-ball format anytime soon, and until BCCI formally appoints Bumrah full-time captain in the format, Rohit remains in charge in Tests.