India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has denied rumours of a rift between head coach Gautam Gambhir and veteran batter Virat Kohli during the ongoing India vs England ODI series.
There has been a lot of speculation about a rift between Kohli and Gambhir ever since the former announced his retirement from Tests in May 2025.
There were also reports that Kohli and Gambhir did not speak to each other on the eve of the first India vs England ODI.
Sitanshu Kotak rubbishes Viat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir rift rumours
“Virat and Gautam, they must have talked 10 times today. I don't think they need a bridge," Kotak said in the post-match press conference after India's four-wicket loss to England in the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday. Kotak also revealed a few details of his conversation with Kohli.
“And Virat, basically, before going into batting, he talked about certain things. Because, Virat, I honestly say, as a batting coach, till the time he doesn't feel anything, or if he doesn't see anything, his batting shouldn't be disturbed. And we shouldn't say much, the way he bats.”
He added, “But, mainly, how is his footwork going? Certain things, he asked me before. And then, after the nets, he was talking. Apart from that, what you are saying, I don't know, where do the rumours come from, but they do come.”
In the last few years, there have been instances where Kohli and Gambhir weren't on the same page. One such instance was during IPL 2023, when the two of them got into a heated argument during the customary handshake after a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Gambhir was the mentor of LSG at that time.
The two of them reconciled later, during an IPL 2024 match between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which Gambhir was mentoring at the time.
Virat Kohli's performances in England ODIs so far
Kohli was dismissed for just five runs in the first ODI against England, but he bounced back in the second ODI with a knock of 65 runs from 66 balls.
However, the Delhi cricketer's knock in the second ODI went in vain as India lost to England by four wickets. Apart from Kohli, Shreyas Iyer also scored a half-century, but India were all out for 233 in 44 overs.
England rode on Joe Root's unbeaten 99 to script a six-wicket win to level the three-match ODI series 1-1. Kotak recalled a message about short-pitched deliveries not going through.
“Virat, if you have seen, while he was batting only, he has sent a message also to us, and he has told the head coach that the short balls are actually not going through. So that we knew,” Kotak said.
The one-day international format is the only international format that the 37-year-old currently is playing. Kohli retired from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 and announced his retirement from Tests in May 2025 ahead of India’s Test tour of England.
The third and final ODI between India and England will take place at Lord's Cricket Ground in London on Sunday.
