“There were Rohit camp and Kohli Camp,” writes R Sridhar in his book; Shastri brought saga to end

The Indian cricket team’s heartbreaking loss in the 2019 World Cup semi-final to New Zealand was one of the most devastating moments in the sport’s recent history. Despite dominating the league stage and finishing first in the group, with Rohit Sharma scoring five centuries, India suffered a top-order collapse and lost the match by 18 runs.

Following the loss, rumours of a rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma spread on social media, leading to the former fielding coach R Sridhar in his book revealing how head coach Ravi Shastri intervened to resolve the issue.

Ravi Shastri’s Interventional Method

After the defeat in the 2019 World Cup, the team was plagued with rumours of a divide between Kohli and Rohit, with reports of the two cricketers unfollowing each other on social media.

In response, head coach Ravi Shastri called a meeting with the two players, making it clear that for Indian cricket to be healthy, they needed to be on the same page.

He impressed upon them that the issues on social media were not important and that the most senior cricketers in the team needed to move forward and work together.

“Ravi’s action was swift, simple, and decisive. It was just getting both the guys together, sitting them down and making them talk,” explained Sridhar. “Ravi didn’t waste any time in doing so.” The impact of the meeting was immediate, with the atmosphere improving significantly, as both players saw reason in Shastri’s stance and got down to business.

The Atmosphere of the Team

The coaching staff facilitated the atmosphere of the team, and Shastri’s decisive action in calling a meeting with the two most senior players showed the positive environment that was in place.

Sridhar explained that the fact that Virat and Rohit saw reason in Shastri’s stance and immediately got down to business was the ultimate tribute to the team culture of “one for all, all for one, but team above all”.

In conclusion, Ravi Shastri’s interventional method in resolving the Kohli vs Rohit saga was a testament to his leadership skills and the positive atmosphere of the Indian cricket team. His swift, simple, and decisive action brought an end to the rumours of a rift between the two players and allowed the team to move forward together. The coaching staff’s positive team culture brought the players together and helped resolve issues, resulting in the ultimate vindication of the meeting.