India cricket great Sunil Gavaskar doesn't think it's right to jump to conclusions on the alleged rift between India's two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. There have been speculations over a rift between Kohli and Rohit multiple times in the past, but they have clarified it's all good between them.
However, this time the rumors picked up pace after Kohli reportedly decided to skip the ODI series in South Africa, although BCCI didn't confirm the news and said he has not made any official request. Rohit, who has been appointed as ODI captain, is already out of the three-match Test series due to a hamstring and is likely to join the squad for the limited-overs series.
Ex-India captain Mohammed Azharuddin had made a post on social media that the timing of Kohli and Rohit's absence from the squad is sending a wrong message in public.
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"Virat Kohli has informed that he's not available for the ODI series & Rohit Sharma is unavailable fr d upcoming test. There is no harm in takin a break but d timing has to be better. This just substantiates speculation abt d rift. Neither wil be giving up d other form of cricket," Azhar tweeted.
Reacting to the tweet, Gavaskar told India Today that without players confirming anything, fans and cricket pundits shouldn't make assumptions. "The question is, 'is there anything simmering at all (between Kohli and Rohit)?'
"Unless both the players come out with something, we should not jump to conclusions. Yes, Azharuddin has said something but if he has got some inside information about what has happened then he should be coming out and telling us what happened.
"Till then, I will give the benefit of the doubt to both the players. Because both have served Indian cricket brilliantly and I don't think it is fair at all for any one of us, without having exact information, to be pointing fingers at either of them," Gavaskar said.
Kohli had already decided to quit T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup 2021, and Rohit was recently announced as the ODI captain by BCCI.
(With Times of India Inputs)
