Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has rubbished all the talk about an alleged rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and has said that in a squad of 15 players, there were bound to be differences in opinions. He also hailed the work ethic of the players and spoke about how each player knew their roles in the group.
“Listen, I have been around the dressing room for the last five years. I have seen how the boys have played and how they have complemented the team and know their work ethics. I feel it is absolute nonsense. I have been there with them and I know the way they play. If that was the case why would Rohit get five hundreds in the World Cup? Why would Virat do what he is doing? How would they have partnerships together,” Shastri told Gulf News.
Shastri also said that the atmosphere in the dressing room is such that is allows players to put their points across and even come up with fresh ideas for the betterment of the side.
“In a side when you have 15 players there will always be times when there will be opinions that will be different. That is what is needed. I don’t want everyone toeing the same line. You have got to have discussions and someone might then think of a fresh strategy which has to be encouraged. So you have to give the guys the opportunity to express themselves and then decide what is best,” he further added.
Speaking about the impact of the side, the head coach said that it was important to back the side and help them create a legacy.
“This team has an opportunity to do great things. We have a legacy like the West Indies did the in Eighties and Australia did in the turn of the century. This team too has an opportunity to leave that kind of legacy and they are already doing it,” he said.
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