The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally broken its silence on the rumors of differences between the head coach of the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit Sharma. Media reports have claimed that there is a rift between Gambhir and Rohit, especially after India’s 1-3 loss to Australia in the recent 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Speculation about the differences only intensified after Rohit Sharma was rested from the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney, citing poor form. However, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has categorically dismissed rumors of a cold war between Rohit and Gambhir.
BCCI dismisses rumors of rift between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma
Calling the rumors “rubbish” spread by certain media sections, the BCCI vice-president emphasized that there is no disagreement between India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, nor between the selectors and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Hindustan Times quoted Rajeev Shukla as saying, “It is a completely wrong statement; there is no discord between the president of the selection (Ajit Agarkar) and the coach; there is no discord between the captain and the coach. It’s all nonsense that spreads in the media.”
Meanwhile, a report in Dainik Jagran recently revealed that Rohit Sharma told BCCI officials during a recent meeting in Mumbai that he will continue as Test and ODI captain until a replacement is finalised. The Indian skipper also assured them that he would fully support their decision.
Rohit did not insist on captaincy: Rajeev Shukla
Well, this claim was also quashed by the BCCI vice-president confirming that Rohit did not insist on remaining captain. Rajeev Shukla added that Rohit is already the captain and form is just a temporary thing, while backing the rookie to find his groove soon. He also claimed that it was Rohit’s decision to rest from the Sydney Test, which India lost by six wickets against Australia.
The BCCI vice-president further remarked, “This is also wrong that Rohit insisted on the captaincy. He is the captain. Form, or lack of form, is an integral part of the game. These are phases, nothing new. When he saw that he was out of form, he gave up the fifth Test.”
Also Read: Players Not Taking Him Seriously: Gautam Gambhir’s Swap Wanted, Replacement Identified
Shukla also confirmed that they have reviewed India’s performances in the recent board meeting and have already chalked out plans on how to get back to winning ways. He signed off by saying, “The review meeting is over. We talked about how to move forward and how to be good.
BCCI mulling pay-for-performance model?
On the other hand, the performance-based pay structure was said to have been proposed during the recent review meeting held by the BCCI in Mumbai. This structure was proposed to make players more accountable, with wages being directed based on their performance.
If a performance-based pay structure is implemented, poor performance could lead to pay cuts for Indian players. A BCCI source revealed as quoted by the Indian Express, “That was one of the suggestions given that the players should be held accountable and if their performance is deemed not to be up to expectations, they should face a variable pay cut. “
