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Team India batter Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir were not on the same page a day before the India vs England first ODI of the ongoing series in Birmingham. A day before the match, during the practice session, the duo kept a visible distance between themselves.
Virat Kohli will mark his return with the India National Cricket Team through the ODI series against England. Ahead of the series opener, the relationship between the star batter and the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, looked off on the wrong foot, as neither of them talked to each other throughout the practice session.
The pressure is on Gautam Gambhir because of back-to-back defeats
India will face England for the 1st ODI match tonight, on July 14, after they lost the 5-match T20I series to them. So far in the ongoing UK tour, the Men in Blue are yet to register a win. Against England, India suffered a 2-0 defeat in the two-match T20I series, then another 4-0 defeat against England in a five-match T20I series.
Due to the long losing streak, the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, is now under pressure. The pressure will be on the entire team as well. By winning the ODI series, the Men in Blue will try to justify their reputation in the white-ball format.
Not a single word between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir on the ground in Birmingham
As per the Ray Sportz journalist Ankan Kar, throughout the practice session a day before the India vs England 1st ODI, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir didn't talk to each other as they were keeping a distance between themselves. Virat was spotted talking with his other teammates and the batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, on the training ground, but not with the head coach.
In between the nets, Virat Kohli and Sitanshu Kotak were engaged in a long conversation where the batter looked a bit animated. Virat was spotted talking with Rohit Sharma, the other superstar in the ODI set-up, as well.
When Virat was batting in the nets, the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, maintained distance and did not have any words with him. The atmosphere in the dressing room and in the team bus remained out of public eyes, but from the practice ground, it was clear that the relationship between Virat and Gautam Gambhir was not good.
However, when Rohit Sharma entered the nets and had his batting session, Gambhir was seen engaging in a conversation with the opening batter.
Virat Kohli was the first to enter the nets
It is also worth mentioning that Virat was the first batter to enter the nets for batting practice. The other batters of the team, like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and captain Shubman Gill, also did their parts in the nets.
Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Washington Sundar also looked determined in the training session. But the T20I captain of India, Shreyas Iyer, was not with the team during the training. Why Iyer was not there remains unknown.
The visible distance between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir was one of the most highlighted moments from the Indian cricket team’s training session.
