Virat Kohli says 'No problem between me & Rohit Sharma, tired of clarifying for 2 years'

Speaking about his rift with India's newly-appointed white-ball captain, Test skipper Virat Kohli said that he is "tired" of clarifying for two years that there is no problem between him and Rohit Sharma. Kohli, while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, said the relationship between him and Rohit has not been affected following the latter's appointment as ODI and T20I captain. Kohli, who appeared to be frustrated on hearing the question, said that there is no problem between him and Rohit before adding, "I have been clarifying for two years. I am tired now". 

"My responsibility is to push the team in the right direction. Rohit is a very able captain and tactically very sound. Along with Rahul bhai, who is a great man manager. They will get my 100 percent support in ODIs and T20Is," Virat clarified. 

"I can understand the reasons. BCCI has taken the reasons from a logical point of view. There is no problem between me and Rohit Sharma. None of my actions or decisions will be to take the team down," Virat concluded. 

Over the past few days, rumours about a rift between Kohli and Rohit have been doing rounds on social media. The rumours received a booster after former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin took to Twitter to claim the timing of the break from both Kohli and Rohit further substantiates the rift. 

Kohli also talked about being dropped as the ODI captain, saying he was only informed about the decision during the selection call for the South Africa series and that there was no prior communication. Kohli further added that his performance with the bat and his motivation level will not dip at all despite all that has happened off the field.  

Virat Kohli was considering taking a break from the India vs. South Africa One-Day International Series, as per reports that had emerged earlier. Those rumours suggested that the player wanted to be home for his daughter's first birthday, which is understandable, but the fact that it came out after he was forced to relinquish captaincy has sparked fears of a possible rift. However, a BCCI official, quashing the reports on Tuesday, claimed that Kohli has not officially requested for any sabbatical from the ODI series and that he will be available for selection. 

Team India will tour South Africa despite the Omicron scare, with Cricket South Africa releasing the updated schedule for the series. The Indian team is due to travel to Johannesburg on a chartered flight on December 16. India's Tour of South Africa now features a three-match Test series followed by as many ODI games, with the four T20Is, which were part of the original schedule, to be played at a later date. Here is a complete look at the revised IND vs SA tour schedule. 

Tests:

1st Test: 26-30 December, Centurion

2nd test: 3-7 January, Johannesburg

3rd Test: 11-15 January, Cape Town

ODIs:

1st ODI: 19 January, Paarl

2nd ODI: 21 January, Paarl

3rd ODI: 23 January, Cape Town

Image: PTI