Mumbai, January 18: Team India captain Rohit Sharma has dismissed rumours of a rift between himself and head coach Gautam Gambhir, following recent reports suggesting tensions between the two.
During a press conference on Saturday, where Indian squad was announced for the ICC Champions Trophy and the ODI series against England, Rohit clarified the nature of their working relationship.
Since Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as head coach, the team has struggled a lot, suffering a whitewash against New Zealand and failing to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, Rohit emphasized that their communication is clear and based on mutual trust.
“We are both clear about our roles. On the field, Gautam trusts the captain’s decisions, and any tactical discussions happen off the field,” he said. “That’s the kind of trust we have, and that’s how it should be.”
“The conversations we have are mostly off the field. Whether it’s on the ground or in the changing room, once we step onto the field, it’s all about our performance during the game. We have a strong trust in each other, and that’s how it should be. That sums it up,” Rohit added.
Rohit Sharma will play Ranji Trophy
Rohit confirmed he will play in the Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir on January 23. After missing the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, he has been practicing with the Mumbai team at Wankhede Stadium to prepare.
Rohit said, “Last 6-7 years, if you go back and look at our calendar, there hasn’t been a time where we were sitting at home for 45 days and there is (domestic) cricket going on. You do get that time when you finish IPL and if there’s nothing happening (in domestic cricket).”
“But if you see our domestic season, it starts in October, maybe September, and it gets over by February-March and that is the time India plays a lot of cricket as well. So, guys who are not playing certain formats and have time, and then there is domestic cricket happening, then they will play.”
(With PTI inputs)
India’s squad for Champions trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.
