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India National Cricket Team coach Sitanshu Kotak broke the silence on the rumours of a possible rift between the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and batting star Virat Kohli after the India vs England 2nd ODI match in Cardiff. Dismissing all the rumours, Sitanshu Kotak claimed there was no rift between Virat and Gautam, and that throughout the day of the match, both of them spoke several times.
Ahead of the first ODI of the three-match series at Edgbaston, Birmingham, it was reported that Virat and Gambhir were not on talking terms, and they kept a distance between themselves during the practice sessions.
Rift between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir?
Amid speculation about the relationship between the head coach and the batter, Team India suffered a defeat to England in Cardiff. However, if the claims made by the Indian batting coach are to be believed, then there was no issue between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.
Ever since Virat Kohli retired from Tests, there have been multiple reports suggesting that Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir had not been sharing a very healthy relationship. The speculations got fuel when video footage from India's practice session in Birmingham started doing the rounds across social media platforms.
Batting coach dismisses Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir 'no conversation' claims
Through the videos, it was claimed that Virat and Gambhir were not on talking terms; even during the net session, the head coach kept a distance from the batter. Sitanshu Kotak dismissed all these claims in Cardiff after the India vs England 2nd ODI. Kotak stated that these claims were baseless as the batter and the head coach had been maintaining a very good bond.
"Virat and Gautam, they must have talked 10 times today. I don't think they need a bridge," Sitanshu Kotak told the reporters. He further mentioned that ahead of any match, during the training sessions, Virat Kohli mostly prefers to take care of his batting himself.
Only for footwork-related issues, he needed support from the coaches of the team.
"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," Sitanshu Kotak continued his brief.
"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," he added.
🔴 DON'T DISTURB VIRAT KOHLI - SITANSHU KOTAK ON VIRAT GAMBHIR RUMOURS 🤯
— Sam (@cricsam02) July 17, 2026
🎙️: Team India batting coach dismissed rumors of a rift between Virat & Gautam Gambhir, saying they still talk several times a day. He added that Virat only discussed a few pointspic.twitter.com/Am9Ohm7RYx
Joe Root ensured England's win in Cardiff
Kohli was in good touch in Cardiff, scoring 65 runs off 66 balls. Kohli got support from Shreyas Iyer, who also scored a half-century in the first innings of the match. Despite a couple of half-centuries, India were limited to 233 runs for 10 wickets as the remaining batting order collapsed.
Joe Root's unbeaten 99 in the second innings of the match was the most influential in deciding the match result. The England batting star ensured England's win with his well-composed, sensible batting to level the 3-match ODI series.
Ahead of the third, which will be the final match of the series, the scoreboard reads 1-1, as both teams have secured one win each so far.
