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Gautam Gambhir directly accused of forcing Rohit, Kohli and Ashwin's retirement: 'Made sure they are not in Indian team'
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary accused head coach Gautam Gambhir of forcing Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirements.
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary minced no words as he lambasted head coach Gautam Gambhir for ruining the current team culture, saying too many controversial things have happened ever since the former left-handed opening batter assumed charge. Rohit Sharma was recently replaced by Shubman Gill as the ODI captain, and this change of guard has ruffled quite a few feathers on social media. A debate has erupted among fans, with some questioning whether Rohit and Virat Kohli will be in the team for the 2027 World Cup.
Rohit and Virat, fondly known as RoKo, will be playing their first international games since the 2025 Champions Trophy. The duo had announced their Test retirement earlier this year, following a disappointing tour of Australia. However, no one expected the two to bow out in such a fashion, especially before an important series against England.
Ravichandran Ashwin also retired last year, midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Gambhir has now been accused of forcing the retirements of these players, as Tiwary stated that the current head coach doesn't like his ideas 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.
‘Gambhir won’t drop Rohit and Kohli'
Tiwary, who has a long history with Gambhir, gave the latter the benefit of the doubt, saying the current head coach would possibly not drop Rohit and Virat from the ODI scheme of things, considering the duo's outstanding record in the 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.
According to several reports, the upcoming three-match series against Australia might be Rohit and Kohli's swansong, but the duo are yet to officially make any sort of announcement. Earlier, a Dainik Jagran report claimed that RoKo will be asked to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy if they harbour dreams of playing the 2027 ODI World Cup.
