Rohit Sharma himself requested Gautam Gambhir to become India coach, relationship broke down in Australia: Report

The relationship between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir soured during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Updated on: Jul 18, 2026, 17:10:02 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) quashed retirement rumours of Rohit Sharma, saying the stalwart won't be playing his last match for India on Sunday in the third ODI against England at Lord's Cricket Ground. However, no one can deny that all's not well within the Indian dressing room, especially between Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir. The same can be said about the equation between the two senior players and the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar.

The relationship between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma has reached a breaking point. (Surjeet Yadav)

Earlier this week, social media was sent into overdrive after a PTI report claimed that Rohit could be playing his last ODI on Sunday, following the selectors' decision not to include him in the plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, denied it.

Now, another report has surfaced, detailing how the relationship between Rohit and Gambhir deteriorated during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The PTI report revealed that Rohit himself approached Gambhir to take a coaching position in the Indian setup in 2024.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma tried speaking to top BCCI officials after Agarkar's judgment, but their response left him unhappy: Report

According to PTI, Rohit approached Gambhir when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were playing an away game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The news agency stated that Rohit approached Gambhir during a training session and asked him to “join the Indian team.” The former India opener then replied, “If you remain captain, I will definitely join.”

When all this played out, one person close to Rohit warned him that working with Gambhir would be a different challenge, as he was used to Rahul Dravid's coaching style.

Breakdown of the relationship

The cracks between Rohit and Gambhir first appeared during India's whitewash in the home Test series at the hands of New Zealand. However, the relationship reached a breaking point during the tour Down Under. It's now common knowledge that Rohit himself wanted to sit out of the Sydney Test due to his poor form.

According to PTI, Agarkar warned Rohit against the move as this could be an issue for his selection for the England tour. However, the former India captain sat out the Test, and during one of the days for the Test, he famously gave an interview to the host broadcaster, where he was quoted as saying, "I am a father of two. I know what is good for me."

This statement left both Agarkar and Gambhir stunned, and the relationship reached a breaking point from there.

ODI captaincy removal sealed it

After Rohit's Test retirement, he was removed as the ODI captain before the series against Australia last year. Both Gambhir and Agarkar were on the same page about removing Rohit and replacing him with Shubman Gill.

When Rohit was informed of the same, he wasn't happy, and the subsequent discussions weren't very pleasant. Following this, Rohit became a long-ranger and started preparing for the World Cup, but the duo of Gambhir and Agarkar remained non-committal.

It is also believed that Rohit couldn't believe it when the story of the committee wanting to move past him surfaced on the same day that he played a knock of 26 runs off 47 balls against England in the 2nd ODI in Cardiff. It remains to be seen what happens regarding the stalwart's future in the 50-over format.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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