Former India fielding coach reveals how Shastri played peacemaker in 'Rohit-Kohli rift'

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the two alpha males of Indian cricket. The two senior-most cricketers of the team, Kohli and Rohit go back a long way. They have been playing together for the Indian team since 2008, and over the years have not only contributed immensely to its growth but even stitched memorable partnerships together. 

Even today, when they bat together and are in full flow, there is hardly a better sight in world cricket. However, that doesn't mean that things have always been hunky-dory and a bed of roses between the two. There was a time, not too long ago when rumours of rift between Kohli and Rohit were ripe and hurting Indian cricket; it gained steam during the 2019 World Cup and peaked again when Kohli was sacked as India's ODI captain in late 2021.

But was there any merit to those rumours? Apparently, yes. Although through no fault of their own, the advent of social media and reports of a tiff had reportedly strained their relationship, albeit slightly. Former India fielding coach R Sridhar, in his book, revealed how things went down between Rohit and Kohli but before it could reach a crescendo, Ravi Shastri was around to control the situation.

"After the 2019 World Cup, there was a lot of bad press about what allegedly happened in the dressing room during our campaign and following our loss to New Zealand in the semifinal. We were informed that there was a Rohit camp and a Virat camp, that someone had unfollowed another on social media – stuff that could be unsettling if you allowed it to fester," Sridhar wrote in 'Coaching Beyond'.

"We landed in the United States (US) some 10 days after the World Cup for a T20 series against West Indies in Lauderhill. One of the first things Ravi did on arrival was to call Virat and Rohit to his room and impress upon them that for Indian cricket to be healthy, they needed to be on the same page. 'Whatever happened on social media, that's all fine, but you two are the most senior cricketers so this must stop,' Ravi said in his typical non-nonsense manner. 'I want you to put all this behind and get together for us to move forward'".

Once Shastri the head coach intervened, Kohli and Rohit had set the reset button. Although there may not have been much to worry about to begin with, there was a risk of murmurs to creep in and cause long-term damage. Fortunately, Shastri was around to save the day; he controlled and handled the situation in a manner only he could. And as Sridhar rightly points out next, the relation between Kohli and Rohit significantly improved.

They could be seen enjoying the team's success and more importantly, each other's success. Their backing for each other when one was going through a dip in form, celebrating India's win against Australia in a viral video and Rohit lifting Kohli after the former India captain's match-winning knock against Pakistan is a testament to the fact that Kohli and Rohit are stronger than ever.

"You could see that things started to get better after that. Ravi's action was swift, simple and decisive. It was just getting both the guys together, sitting them down and making them talk. Ravi didn't waste any time in doing so. That he felt encouraged to call the white-ball captain and his deputy to clearly state his mind is indicative of the kind of atmosphere we had facilitated. That Virat and Rohit saw reason in Ravi's stance and immediately got down to business was the mutilate tribute to our culture 'one for all, all for one, but team above all'," added Sridhar.