'You two are most senior cricketers so...': R Sridhar recalls how Ravi Shastri handled Kohli vs Rohit saga

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in the twilight of their respective careers. Over the years, the two superstars of Indian cricket have entertained fans. Their camaraderie have been cherished by their fans but a lot was said and written about their alleged rift after the 2019 ODI World Cup.

While many brushed aside all these rumours, India's former fielding coach R Sridhar -- who was part of India's support staff during Kohli vs Rohit saga -- opened up regarding this and made a big revelation. Sridhar confirmed that things did go down between the two, due to a lot of bad press and things written on social media, but recalled how then head coach Ravi Shastri addressed the matter and put an end to Rohit-Kohli's strained relation before it reached a crescendo.

"After the 2019 World Cup, there was a lot of bad press about what allegedly happened in the dressing room during our campaign and following our loss to New Zealand in the semifinal. We were informed that there was a Rohit camp and a Virat camp, that someone had unfollowed another on social media – stuff that could be unsettling if you allowed it to fester," Sridhar wrote in 'Coaching Beyond'.

"We landed in the United States (US) some 10 days after the World Cup for a T20 series against West Indies in Lauderhill. One of the first things Ravi did on arrival was to call Virat and Rohit to his room and impress upon them that for Indian cricket to be healthy, they needed to be on the same page. 'Whatever happened on social media, that's all fine, but you two are the most senior cricketers so this must stop,' Ravi said in his typical non-nonsense manner. 'I want you to put all this behind and get together for us to move forward'".

"You could see that things started to get better after that. Ravi's action was swift, simple and decisive. It was just getting both the guys together, sitting them down and making them talk. Ravi didn't waste any time in doing so. That he felt encouraged to call the white-ball captain and his deputy to clearly state his mind is indicative of the kind of atmosphere we had facilitated. That Virat and Rohit saw reason in Ravi's stance and immediately got down to business was the ultimate tribute to our culture 'one for all, all for one, but team above all'," added Sridhar.

Following the 2019 World Cup, India ended their tour of West Indies without losing a single game and were at their dominant best at home, versus South Africa and Bangladesh. Kohli-Rohit-starrer India whitewashed hosts New Zealand in a five-match T20I series in early 2020 before Covid-19 pandemic struck. After cricket resumed post a long break due to the virus, India reached the inaugural WTC final in 2021. Later that year, Kohli made way for Rohit as the T20I captain before the latter succeeded him to eventually become India's full-time captain in early 2022.

At present, both Kohli and Rohit are gearing up for India's home Test series opener versus Australia, in Nagpur, on February 09.