Ravi Shastri slams reports of Kohli-Rohit rift: None of that nonsense is there
Ahead of the West Indies tour, India's head coach Ravi Shastri on Monday slammed the reports of a rift between captain Virat Kohli and his limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma.
After India's exit from 2019 World Cup semifinals, the reports were floated that all is not well between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the dressing room is divided into two camps but Shastri slammed the rumours with a big statement.
"The way this team plays, no individual is bigger than the game. Not me, not him (Virat), nobody in the team. And the way they play, it is in the interest of the team. You cannot have the kind of consistency across all the formats, if you have rifts or divisions. I have been part of the dressing room and none of that nonsense is there," said Ravi Shastri in the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai.
Skipper Kohli, who was also present at the press conference, dismissed speculations of a rift with Rohit Sharma calling the reports ridiculous and baffling lies.
"If I don't like a person or I am insecure, you'll see it on my face. I have always praised Rohit whenever I feel he bats well. I don't know who is benefitting with all these stories. It's baffling and ridiculous to read such stuff," Kohli said.
"In my opinion, it's baffling, its' absolutely ridiculous. I have been to many public events and people praised us about how we played and here we are feeding off lies, we are overlooking facts, we are turning a blind eye to all the good things that have happened and creating fantasies and scenarios in our head and we are ready to accept that this is the true," he added.
The Indian team will leave for the West Indies on July 29. Virat Kohli and his boys will play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches in the Caribbean.
