Tension between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir? Head coach not speaking with batter, fans allege | IND vs ENG 1st ODI

Ahead of the India vs England 1st ODI, captain Shubman Gill praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's lasting influence. He also hailed Jasprit Bumrah. The ‘Terrific Trio’, as the BCCI calls them, returns to the team after a hiatus.

Many fans, however, referred to viral videos that showed Gautam Gambhir watching Virat Kohli practise at the nets. Some of them found it odd. One of the first people to allege the ‘tension’ was Ray Sports journalist Ankan Kar.

“Why is Head Coach Gautam Gambhir not talking to Virat Kohli? What happened at Edgbaston Nets which ‘Shocked’ Everyone?” he wondered.

“He didn't watch KL Rahul and Shubman Gill bat, but couldn't take his eyes off Virat. In the end, he finally got him out and looked satisfied,” wrote one of them.

“Is Gautam Gambhir putting Virat Kohli under pressure? During yesterday’s practice session, Gambhir was standing right beside Virat Kohli’s net, closely watching him. Virat and Gambhir haven’t spoken for a long time. Virat played a couple of awkward shots and then got clean bowled by a gentle delivery on the third ball. As soon as the net session ended, Gambhir sent batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to speak with Virat,” commented another user.

One user claimed, “There is no conversation taking place between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during practice. Kohli is speaking only to Sitanshu Kotak.”

‘Terrific Trio’

Shubman Gill called Rohit and Virat the backbone of India's batting unit throughout. Gill highlighted their experience, consistency and ability across various conditions.

“Virat bhai and Rohit bhai have been the backbone of the Indian middle-order for the past decade. They remained a very integral part of our team. The experience and the skill that they bring to the team are obviously very valuable,” Gill said at a press conference.

“Bumrah is coming into the setup after a bit of time. Hopefully, he's had a good number of overs leading up to this one-day series. Hopefully, this one-day series goes well for him. Hopefully, we win the series…” he added.

India will play the 1sr ODI against England in Birmingham on 14 July. The match starts at 3 PM (India time). This is the start of India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.

Shubman Gill has also said that discussions are ongoing about the potential combinations for next year's tournament. This includes evaluating players not currently part of the squad. He emphasised the value both Rohit and Virat regularly brought. Their decade-long consistency remains crucial to the team's overall structure, he said.

India hope to move past their disappointing recent T20I tour results. They suffered a 0-4 series defeat against England recently. This included their heaviest-ever defeat in T20Is. Before that, the world champions lost 0-2 to Ireland (world ranking 11).

The Men in Blue will now aim to improve their performances in ODIs. England enter the series with strong confidence following their T20I dominance. They're keen to maintain winning momentum on home soil now.

India will look to establish stronger early results in this format. Both teams will use this series to build toward 2027.

Social Media Reactions

“Terrific trio indeed. Kohli’s hunger, Rohit’s calm, and Bumrah’s precision—each a masterclass in consistency. That’s the backbone India needs for the ODI challenge,” wrote an Indian cricket fan.

One user wrote, “Good to have the heavy armour back in the ranks. But a captain's real test isn't managing the legends—it's getting them to play like they still have something to prove.”