New Delhi: Though speculations refuse to die down over the equation of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla insisted all is well between the India skipper and head coach.
Rohit was dropped from the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney after managing only 31 runs in three matches of the Border-Gavaskar series that India lost 1-3 to fail to qualify for the World Test Championship.
Amidst his dry spell with the bat, there has been mounting speculation of serious differences between Rohit and Gambhir, who took over from Rahul Dravid after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in June lst year.
With Rohit and star batter Virat Kohli both out of form and struggling to justify their places in the team, reports suggested there was tension in the dressing room that contributed to India’s poor performance in Australia.
But Shukla shot it down while speaking about team dynamics, saying, “It’s completely wrong statement, there is no rift between chairman of selection (Ajit Agarkar) and coach, there is no rift between captain and coach. This is all rubbish which is being spread in a section of media.”
‘Rohit hasn’t insisted on captaincy’
Reports suggest Gambhir has issued a ‘perform or perish’ ultimatum to seniors players while Rohit’s future as a Test player seems to have come to an end, with the right hander apparently wanting to remain captain for a ‘few more months’.
“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,” Shukla added.
The long-time administrator also said the BCCI will announce the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy by Sunday, having sought an extension on the deadline to ascertain the availability of injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has picked up a back injury in the Sydney Test.
“Review meeting is complete. We have discussed the way forward and how to do well. Squad for Champions Trophy will be known after a meeting on January 18 or 19,” he said.
Rohit Sharma was dropped from the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney after managing only 31 runs in three matches of the Border-Gavaskar series that India lost 1-3. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
