CoA chief Vinod Rai rubbishes Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma rift reports, says they are media creations

Ever since India’s shock exit from the 2019 cricket World Cup in the semi-final when they lost to New Zealand by 18 runs, speculations of all kinds have gained the centre stage. One of them is about a possible rift between captain Virat Kohli and his deputy in the limited-overs Rohit Sharma. It was alleged that the team was divided into two camps, each remaining loyal to either of the batting masters.

It was also reported that there could be a split in India’s captaincy with Kohli carrying on in the Tests and Rohit taking over in the limited-overs. The board though refused to get too much into the story. On Friday, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) that runs the BCCI addressed the issue for the first time. Committee chief Vinod Rai rubbished the reports about a possible rift between Kohli and Rohit and said it was a media creation.

“These are all stories created by you guys,” Timesnownews.com cited reports quoting Rai as replying when he was asked whether the two senior players were involved in a cold war. A couple of days ago, the CoA said that it will not take up the issue unless the players themselves raise it.

Anushka Sharma’s mysterious message fuels speculation

The speculation received more fuel of late after actor Anushka Sharma, wife of Kohli, was unfollowed on Instagram by Rohit and the former came up with a cryptic message: “A wise man once said nothing. Only truth can shake hands with silence in a mess of false appearances.” Rohit has also unfollowed Kohli in the past and there were reports during the World Cup that Anushka and Ritika Sajdeh, the wife of Rohit, didn’t see eye to eye.

It has been alleged that decisions in Team India are taken in a more centralised fashion and that has not made impressed many in the squad. The indication is that Rohit is less of a part in team decisions while the majority of them are taken by Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.

Meanwhile, Rai also said that there is no time to convene meetings to scrutinise India’s performance in the World Cup. The Indian squad is leaving for the Caribbeans on July 29 for a month-long series in August and September and still the feedback from the support staff and manager is awaited, the CoA chief said.