Despite India's excellent recent record in white-ball cricket, head coach Gautam Gambhir's relationship with stalwarts
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have reportedly soured. Presently, according to multiple reports, the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) is adamant that Kohli and Rohit should play domestic cricket in order to maintain form and
fitness. The situation has divided experts and fans alike, and brought heat into the internal matters of the Indian
cricket team. While there has been no official statement from either party regarding the reported friction, let's take a
look at how the saga has evolved since Gambhir's appointment in July 2024.
Gambhir-Kohli sit down for a candid chat after appointment
The fact that Gambhir and Kohli had a frosty relationship was well-documented, with the two often clashing on the
cricket field during Indian Premier League (IPL) games. In September 2024, the two sat down for a candid chat to end
"all the masala and spice" as Kohli put it.
In that interaction, both Gambhir and Kohli spoke at great length about the importance of Test cricket. Ironically,
their struggles in Test cricket have arguably led to the mess of today.
Team India's New Zealand debacle: 0-3 whitewash at home
Arguably Indian cricket's most shining achievement during Kohli's peak was their unbeaten Test streak at home. However,
in Gambhir's first major Test assignment, under Rohit Sharma's leadership, the streak was brutally ended by New Zealand
in October and November 2024.
India not only suffered their first home Test series defeat in 12 years, but also a whitewash. Three Tests, three losses
- an enormous stain on Gambhir's coaching legacy in just his second Test series in charge.
Kohli-Rohit's form nosedives; India lose in Australia
While India's hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final were dented by New Zealand, they were
completely dashed by Australia.
India lost 1-3 to Australia in a five-match series Down Under at the end of 2024. A huge talking point was the torrid
Kohli managed only 190 runs in five Tests, repeatedly getting out to deliveries outside the off-stump. Rohit, on the
other hand, scored a mere 31 runs in five innings and dropped himself from the playing XI for the final Test.
BCCI impose 10-point diktat; Rohit, Kohli play domestic cricket
Following the disaster Down Under and amidst continued questions over the India futures of Rohit and Kohli, the BCCI
enforced a ten-point on the team. The diktat made it mandatory for senior India cricketers to play domestic cricket
Rohit and Kohli, therefore, turned out for their state teams. Rohit played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai for the first
time since 2015, while Kohli played a Ranji game for Delhi for the first time in over a decade. Unfortunately for the
duo, they both failed to make an impression.
India win Champions Trophy but duo announces Test retirement
While debates and discussions over their futures continued in the cricket fraternity, the pains of red-ball cricket were
eased momentarily as Rohit Sharma led India to an invincible Champions Trophy 2025 crown in March. Kohli slammed a
century against Pakistan, while Rohit was the 'Player of the Match' in the final.
"Hum koi retire nahi ho rahe hai," a gleeful Rohit was heard saying to Kohli during the victory celebrations.
On May 7, 2025, Rohit abruptly announced his retirement from Test cricket. Five days later, and perhaps more shockingly,
Just a month before India's daunting five-Test series against England, their two most experienced players called it
quits from red-ball cricket.
Agarkar remains non-committal on Kohli-Rohit's 2027 World Cup prospects
With the duo departing Test cricket, they remained active in just one format - ODIs. The reason seemed clear: they
wanted to claim the 50-over World Cup title in 2027, one that they so narrowly missed out on on home soil in 2023.
However, chairman of the BCCI selection committee Ajit Agarkar has refused to guarantee Kohli and Rohit a spot in the
"Two years from now, it is difficult to say what the situation will be. Who knows, there can be younger players who will
take the spot. You are not going to put them on trial for every game, but 2027 is a long way ahead," Agarkar said at the
NDTV World Summit 2025 in October.
Rohit loses ODI captaincy
The BCCI then made another move that threw further doubt on the futures of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Rohit lost his
ODI captaincy despite being statistically India's most successful captain to date in the format. He was replaced by
Shubman Gill, 12 years his junior, who had impressed as captain in the Tests against England.
Friction between Gambhir and Kohli-Rohit; Domestic cricket saga resumes
And now we cut to present day, December 2025. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been in imperious form in ODI cricket.
Rohit has smashed a century and two fifties in his four ODIs since the Champions Trophy, even briefly achieving the No.
1 spot in the ICC Men's ODI batting rankings. Kohli has recovered from two ducks against Australia to slam a fifty and a
hundred. His century, a scintillating knock of 135 where he looked the best he has in years.
However, according to reports, tension continues between the star duo and the Indian team management. Gambhir's
relationship with Kohli and Rohit is reportedly "not as good as it should be", while pressure on the duo to play
domestic cricket continues to mount from the BCCI.
While Rohit has given his yes to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, reports suggest that Kohli is unwilling. The relationship
between chief selector Agarkar and the duo also appears to have worsened, with the BCCI seemingly sending Pragyan Ojha
as a mediator to speak to Kohli and Rohit.
Meanwhile, the pressure has mounted on Gambhir to deliver. He has become the first coach in the history of Indian
cricket to suffer two Test series whitewashes at home, following a 0-2 loss to South Africa - this time without Kohli
and Rohit. The BCCI are also reportedly unhappy at how Gambhir's dynamic with the two stalwarts has deteriorated.
Indian cricket, for now, continues to dominate on the field in white-ball cricket. However, if results decline in the
lead-up to the 2027 World Cup, the happy facade masking the reported international friction between Kohli-Rohit and
Gambhir-Agakar may not last long.