Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary directly attacked head coach Gautam Gambhir for destroying the current team culture, saying way too many controversies have occurred ever since the southpaw has taken charge of the Indian Cricket Team. Notably, Rohit Sharma was replaced by Shubman Gill as the ODI captain for the series against Australia, and the young batter's appointment has raised a lot of eyebrows on social media.
A raging debate is erupted online among fans, with a lot of them questioning whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play the 50-over World Cup in 2027. The duo will be playing their first international game since the Champions Trophy final earlier this year. The two icons have already retired from Test and T20Is, and ODIs are the only format they are actively playing. Apart from ROKO, as they are fondly referred to, Ravi Ashwin also retired earlier this year.
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Gambhir has been accused of forcing these retirements of the stars of the Indian Cricket Team, as Tiwary stated the current head coach doesn't like being his thought process being questioned.
“If the senior players are there, if Ashwin is there, if Rohit is there or if Rohit is there, then these guys have played so much cricket, these guys are established much more than the head coach or the other staff, these guys will raise questions if they don't agree to a point. You just made sure that these guys are not there, basically,” Tiwary told InsideSport.
“I have observed that since this coach took on the role, a lot of controversies have arisen. Many things that are happening are not good for Indian cricket. I believe that since the time he has been the head coach, Ashwin has taken a retirement. Rohit and Virat have also done so. Other things have happened, such as players being unexpectedly added to the squad and then being straight into the starting XI. We have seen that Gambhir has not been consistent,” he added.
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Gambhir won't drop Kohli & Rohit: Manoj Tiwary
The expert, who always makes sensational claims, gave Gambhir the benefit of doubt, saying the former cricketer would never possibly drop Kohli and Rohit from the ODI scheme of things, considering the stalwarts' phenomenal record in the 50-over format.
"I believe the circumstances that have been created, the atmosphere that has been created, the pressure that is there on these players, I believe Rohit and Virat have been outstanding servants of Indian cricket. They have taken Indian cricket to new heights. The players who give their heart and soul, we have seen they have given their everything," said Tiwary.
“If these players feel that things are affecting their image and they are no longer wanted in the dressing room, then they might consider retiring. I believe they want to play. I think Gambhir won't take this big a call of not having these two individuals because, in the white-ball format, no one can deny the fact that these two have been outstanding. It would be a really poor decision if Gautam doesn't include these two in the scheme of things for the World Cup,” he added.
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For the unversed, according to numerous reports, the Australia ODI series Down Under is possibly a farewell series for Kohli and Rohit, but the two icons have not officially announced their respective announcements. Earlier, a Dainik Jagran report stated the two icons will be asked to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy if they have the desire to play the ODI World Cup 2027 event.
