Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has opened up on the long-standing reports of a possible ‘rift’ between Team India captain Virat Kohli and the limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma during the 2019 World Cup. He has said on Thursday that he didn’t face anything like that between the two as well.
He also asserted that if he had found any issue, he would have addressed it to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma directly. Ravi Shastri told Times Now: “I never saw it. So when people used to ask me like this, I say what you have seen I have not seen. Hamesha taalmel acha hai (the co-ordination 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.”
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However, as per some unverified media sources, there were some disagreements between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma that took place after India’s semi-final loss to New Zealand in the World Cup. However, neither the team nor any of the players or support staff members opened up on this matter. Recently, The Times of India has also claimed that Ravi Shastri had tried to make things better between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by making the duo “talk it out” earlier this year as well.
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While speaking about the ongoing series in England, Ravi Shastri said that the pressure of the fourth Test will be on the hosts. He told Times Now Navbharat: “If anyone thinks that this Indian team is going to back off, they have another one coming because at 1-1, we are playing overseas, the pressure is on England. They have to win in their own country. We have done what we had to do with them in India. So, the ball is in their court and we will fight, there’s no question about it.”
The fourth Test will begin at 3:30 PM IST today at The Oval.
