The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) quashed retirement rumours of Rohit Sharma, saying the stalwart won’t be playing his last match for India on Sunday in the third ODI against England at Lord’s Cricket Ground. However, no one can deny that all’s not well within the Indian dressing room, especially between Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir. The same can be said about the equation between the two senior players and the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar.
Earlier this week, social media was sent into overdrive after a PTI report claimed that Rohit could be playing his last ODI on Sunday, following the selectors’ decision not to include him in the plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, denied it.
Now, another report has surfaced, detailing how the relationship between Rohit and Gambhir deteriorated during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The PTI report revealed that Rohit himself approached Gambhir to take a coaching position in the Indian setup in 2024.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma tried speaking to top BCCI officials after Agarkar’s judgment, but their response left him unhappy: Report
According to PTI, Rohit approached Gambhir when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were playing an away game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The news agency stated that Rohit approached Gambhir during a training session and asked him to “join the Indian team.” The former India opener then replied, “If you remain captain, I will definitely join.”
When all this played out, one person close to Rohit warned him that working with Gambhir would be a different challenge, as he was used to Rahul Dravid’s coaching style.
Breakdown of the relationship
The cracks between Rohit and Gambhir first appeared during India’s whitewash in the home Test series at the hands of New Zealand. However, the relationship reached a breaking point during the tour Down Under. It’s now common knowledge that Rohit himself wanted to sit out of the Sydney Test due to his poor form.
According to PTI, Agarkar warned Rohit against the move as this could be an issue for his selection for the England tour. However, the former India captain sat out the Test, and during one of the days for the Test, he famously gave an interview to the host broadcaster, where he was quoted as saying, “I am a father of two. I know what is good for me.”
This statement left both Agarkar and Gambhir stunned, and the relationship reached a breaking point from there.
ODI captaincy removal sealed it
After Rohit’s Test retirement, he was removed as the ODI captain before the series against Australia last year. Both Gambhir and Agarkar were on the same page about removing Rohit and replacing him with Shubman Gill.
When Rohit was informed of the same, he wasn’t happy, and the subsequent discussions weren’t very pleasant. Following this, Rohit became a long-ranger and started preparing for the World Cup, but the duo of Gambhir and Agarkar remained non-committal.
It is also believed that Rohit couldn’t believe it when the story of the committee wanting to move past him surfaced on the same day that he played a knock of 26 runs off 47 balls against England in the 2nd ODI in Cardiff. It remains to be seen what happens regarding the stalwart’s future in the 50-over format.