Does Rohit Sharma's cryptic tweet hint towards rift with Kohli?
What's the story
Over the last few weeks, the focus has centered around an alleged rift between skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma.
However, the Indian captain, coach Ravi Shastri and the BCCI have categorically refuted such claims.
Kohli, in particular, elaborated on this speculation recently.
But a cryptic tweet by Rohit could add more fuel to the rumors.
Here's more.
Twitter Post
Rohit's cryptic tweet!
I don’t just walk out for my Team. I walk out for my country. pic.twitter.com/S4RFkC0pSk
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 31, 2019
Rift
How did the talks of rift unfold?
Rohit had a superb 2019 World Cup campaign. He was the tournament's highest run-scorer and amassed five hundreds.
Kohli had praised Rohit on numerous occasions as well.
But reports of rift between the two gained prominence after India's exit from the CWC.
It was said that these two had differences over team selection and two different camps exist.
Talks of split captaincy also surfaced.
The curious case of who's following whom on Instagram
Speculations didn't just stop there, as focus of fans shifted on social media platform Instagram, where the issue of Sharma not following Kohli for quite some time gained prominence.
It was also claimed that Rohit had unfollowed Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma.
Reports added that, Kohli still follows Rohit on Instagram, but not his wife Ritika Sajdeh.
These actions sent fans into a frenzy.
Denial
CoA chief, Kohli and Shastri deny media reports
With all the focus being on Rohit and Kohli, CoA chief Vinod Rai dismissed such reports by the media.
"These are all stories created by you guys," said Rai.
Captain Kohli also rubbished the reports of cracks within the team during his press conference ahead of India's tour of the West Indies.
Coach Shastri also joined in and denied such claims.
Reaction
There is nothing between me and Rohit, says Kohli
"I have seen this for too long now. Bringing personal lives into the picture. It's disrespectful after a moment," said Kohli.
The Indian captain added, "There is nothing between me and Rohit. We are feeding off lies. We are overlooking facts. We are creating fantasies and scenarios in our head and want to accept that this is the truth."
Quote
No individual is bigger than the game: Shastri
Indian coach Shastri claimed, "The way this team plays, no individual is bigger than the game. Not me, not him, nobody in the team. I have a been a part of that dressing room and none of the nonsense is there."
WI vs IND
Key details about India's next assignment
Meanwhile, India's tour of West Indies starts from August 3.
It includes 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and 2 Test matches.
Both Kohli and Rohit are set to play across all three formats.
One wants to see both these stalwarts scoring runs aplenty and helping the team win.
Unnecessary focus on these two won't serve any purpose.