Chetan Sharma has THIS reaction on reported rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

In the last couple of years, there have been reports highlighting an alleged rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The reports started peaking after the Indian cricket team’s exit from the 2019 ICC World Cup in the semifinal. Social media has often been rife about the existence of a rift between Kohli and Rohit. But, Chetan Sharma, the BCCI chairman of selectors has quashed all the rumors. Sharma opened up on the reports of the rift while announcing the ODI squad for the series against South Africa.

“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 as 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. 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 said.

Chetan Sharma on Virat Kohli ODI captaincy decision

Before the start of the tour, the BCCI and Virat Kohli had a meeting over the team selection for the tour to South Africa. However, in the meeting, a bombshell was dropped when the selectors stated to give the ODI captaincy as well to Rohit Sharma. Kohli had decided to relinquish the captaincy of the Twenty20 team after the end of the ICC World T20 in the UAE.

Read | Virat Kohli – A Victim of Sources and BCCI’s chaotic mode of communication

“Everyone who was present in the meeting asked him to reconsider, to rethink; ‘we can talk about this after the World Cup’. All the selectors felt this could affect the performance in the World Cup. It was told to Virat for the sake of Indian cricket to please continue as captain. It was told to him by everybody available in the meeting. All convenors were there, board officials were there. It was a matter of the World Cup. We thought let’s talk after the World Cup. We told Virat the World Cup is upon us, and everybody requested let’s talk after the World Cup. But he has his plans. He said in the media also, that he was thinking from the time of World Test Championships, but at that time everybody told him to think about it,” Chetan Sharma said.

Kohli and Ganguly contradiction on captaincy

Earlier, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly responded to Virat Kohli’s explosive press conference in which he discussed his dismissal as ODI captain and contradicted the BCCI President’s remarks. Kohli was removed as ODI captain earlier this month, and Ganguly claimed the next day that the BCCI had asked Kohli not to leave the T20I captaincy in September. The selectors had to drop him from the 50-overs captaincy because the BCCI prefers a single captain for white-ball formats.

However, Kohli had contradicted Ganguly’s statement during his explosive press conference ahead of the South Africa Test series on Wednesday. Kohli that the selectors informed him of his removal from the ODI captaincy 90 minutes before the Test team was chosen for the South Africa tour.

“Whatever was said about the communication that happened about the decision that was made was inaccurate. I was contacted one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting on December 8 for the Test series and there was no prior communication to me at all since I announced my decision on T20I captaincy,” said Kohli.