The Virat Kohli–Gautam Gambhir saga continues to lead the Indian cricket headlines as the team gears up for the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur. On the eve of the game, though, Kohli and Rohit Sharma seemed unperturbed by the din surrounding the dressing-room ecosystem. The two senior players went through an intense net session together, first facing the throw-down specialists with a focused mindset. Head coach Gautam Gambhir whose supposedly strained relationship with the two veterans has dominated the headlines watched the nets training intently.
Amidst all the speculation, senior selector Pragyan Ojha was said to have been sent to Raipur to diffuse tensions between Gambhir and Kohli with rumors claiming that things had turned frosty within the team.
According to a PTI report, after Kohli finished his practice, he slung both bats over his shoulders and walked past Gambhir without even a nod. For those watching the recent developments in that particular corner, the moment was fodder for further interpretation. Rohit, who went into the dressing room within minutes of Kohli, did stop and talk to Gambhir briefly.
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Ever since the start of the ODI series, clips and photos doing the rounds on social media seemed to have only further cemented the belief that the former teammates are not on talking terms. Even Kohli’s confirmation for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, something expected to ease the tension, now seems more like just a start in mending the rift. With long-term questions about Kohli and Rohit’s future most importantly, with the 2027 ODI World Cup coming under the scanner repeatedly, the fans had been taking an extra keen interest. But with back-to-back match-winning performances against Australia and South Africa, the senior duo seemed completely locked in on their cricket.
Kohli looked in sublime rhythm under the floodlights as he went about taking high-intensity throw-downs from Raghu (right-arm) and Nuwan Seneviratne (left-arm). He connected beautifully with most of the deliveries, although the occasional express-pace ball from Raghu did beat his outside edge.
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Elsewhere in the nets, the rest of the squad trained with equal intensity ahead of the second ODI. India, already leading the three-match series 1–0 after their Ranchi win, will look to clinch the series on Wednesday. Aggression was the theme for the other batters too, as India prepared for yet another likely high-scoring game on the black-soil wicket at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. Yashasvi Jaiswal sent several shots sailing over the leg side boundary, while Rishabh Pant – the last batter to hit the nets – received a few light overs from the young opener.
(With PTI Inputs)
