'Sometimes, I read reports about them and laugh' - Chief selector Chetan Sharma quashes reports of rifts between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Team India’s chief selector, Chetan Sharma, has dismissed reports of rifts between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, saying that the duo has always been on healthy terms. Over the last couple of months, the national team has undergone quite a few changes in personnel, one of which is Rohit replacing the 33-year-old Kohli as the captain in ODIs and T20Is.

After Kohli relinquished captaincy post the T20 World Cup 2021, the selectors dropped him as the skipper in the 50-overs format. Thereafter, speculations regarding ruptures in their relationship did the rounds, but Chetan Sharma quashed the reports.

Leave controversies behind in 2021, says Chetan Sharma

“But about what? Things are absolutely fine. That’s why I was saying don’t go by speculations. We’re all cricketers first and selectors later. There is nothing between them,” Chetan Sharma was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

Although he was unhappy with the rumours surrounding two of India’s prolific run-scorers, he looked forward to India making themselves a stronger force in world cricket in 2022.

“Sometimes I read reports about them and laugh. I’m telling you there is such good planning between them about the future. Things are fantastic. If you were in my place, you would have enjoyed watching how these guys are working together aa a team and family and a unit

“It’s really saddening when people make up things like that. So please, leave controversies behind in 2021. Let’s talk about how to make them the best team,” he stated.

On Friday, December 31, India named their 18-member squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa. However, the decision to handover the ODI captaincy from Rohit to Kohli was taken prior to the ongoing three-match Test series.

Chetan Sharma stated that the selectors wanted to give Rohit and Kohli enough time to process the decision. “We wanted to announce it then because we don’t want to disturb them in the middle of the [Test] series [in South Africa],” Chetan Sharma added.

Rohit isn’t a part of the Test series and wasn’t picked for the ODIs as well after he failed to recover from a hamstring injury that he sustained back in December.