India’s 2–1 ODI collection win over South Africa on December 6 ought to have closed with unqualified reward for the important thing performers. As a substitute, the dialog rapidly drifted to the post-match press convention, the place head coach Gautam Gambhir barely talked about Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma — the 2 batsmen who had outlined the collection. The omission caught the eye of former India worldwide and Gambhir’s ex-teammate Robin Uthappa, whose remarks have since prompted wider dialogue amongst followers and analysts.
Kohli produced a standout marketing campaign, scoring 302 runs at a rare common of 151 and a strike fee of 117.05, punctuated by two centuries. Rohit Sharma, too, made significant contributions, tallying 146 runs at a mean of 48.66 and putting at over 110. Their efforts have been instrumental in sealing the collection for India.
This was exactly what Uthappa felt had been neglected.
“What I discovered stunning is the post-match of that collection, within the press convention, I did not see Gautam giving credit score to both Rohit or Virat. Listed below are a few guys who’ve batted out of their skins and confirmed us how good they’re and the way good they are often. They lowered every kind of doubts and shut down any naysayers about what they really can do and can do for India when they’re in the correct of type. That felt unusual,” Uthappa stated on his YouTube channel.
The press convention snub comes at a time when there are rumors over a rift between Gambhir and Kohli. A bit of followers inferred from TV visuals that Kohli ignored Gambhir after his hundred within the first ODI towards South Africa in Ranchi final month. Nevertheless, visuals of Gambhir having an off-the-cuff chat with Rohit went viral.
Gambhir, in the meantime, used the press convention to talk largely about workforce themes and long-term planning, providing minimal direct acknowledgment of the senior pair. Uthappa highlighted this as an uncommon oversight, particularly given the load of Rohit and Kohli’s contributions.
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Each gamers stay totally dedicated to the ODI format, at the same time as they scale back their worldwide workloads. Having retired from Take a look at cricket earlier this 12 months and stepped away from T20Is following the final World Cup, they proceed to anchor India’s 50-over ambitions — fueling hypothesis about their roles within the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Requested whether or not Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal — every of whom struck a century when changing Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer — may function prominently in India’s future ODI plans, Gambhir resisted projecting too far forward. “First you have to notice that the ODI World Cup is 2 years away. It is essential to remain within the current. They’re world-class gamers and their expertise is essential within the dressing room. They have been doing it for a very long time. Hopefully, they will proceed doing the identical, which goes to be essential within the 50-over format,” he stated.
Rohit and Kohli’s type has since carried them to the highest of the ICC ODI batting rankings, with Kohli rising to No. 2 after his record-breaking exhibiting in South Africa and shutting in on the highest spot he final held in March 2021.
With a house collection towards New Zealand approaching in January 2026, the pair stays central to India’s ODI ambitions. And whereas Gambhir’s reluctance to single them out could have raised eyebrows, their performances proceed to talk loudly sufficient — each for now and for what lies forward.
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