Rift stories won’t stop, but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will step out to win matches for India: Sunil Gavaskar

Over the past few days, especially after India’s exit from the World Cup, there have been rumours surrounding the alleged rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Following the mega event where the Men in Blow couldn’t progress beyond the semis, it was learned that the team has been divided into two figments, one supporting Virat, the skipper, and the other in favour of Rohit.

The fact the Rohit unfollowed both Virat and Anushka Sharma, the latter’s wife, on Instagram, added fuel to fire. In the pre-departure press conference before the tour of the West Indies, the Delhi-born Kohli opened up on the matter, saying that he’s absolutely baffled by all the talks on their souring relationship.

Kohli said that facts are being overlooked and people are turning a blind eye to all the good things that happened. In the meantime, Sunil Gavaskar, who’s a part of the commentary team for the tour, said that the stories won’t end and Rohit’s actions on the field will be watched with suspicion. Gavaskar reckons that the speculations are unlikely to end even after a couple of decades.

For the media, it’s manna from heaven

“Virat and Rohit can shout from the rooftops as much as they can but this story won’t end. Every time Rohit fails there will be those who will nod their heads knowingly and a wink, hinting he deliberately got out. Nobody even gives a thought to the fact that if a player fails, he is likely to be dropped and so he would be hurting his own chances of survival in the squad,” Gavaskar mentioned in his exclusive column for Sportstar.

Gavaskar, one of India’s greatest cricketers, was clear cut in saying that those who start such stories aren’t well-wishers of Indian cricket by any means. He stated that more often than not a frustrated played from the team gives wings to such stories. However, Gavaskar also said that they are professionals and would always step on the field with a mindset of winning India games.

“For the media, it’s manna from heaven and so while it can be suppressed when the cricket is on, the rest days between games is where the story gets fanned further. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are professionals and they will put their heads down and go out to win matches for India but the story won’t stop even 20 years later,” the veteran further wrote.

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