Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir avoid interaction during practice ahead of 1st ODI between India and England

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were not seen interacting during India’s training session. Gambhir spent considerable time with the other members of the squad and the coaching staff. Kohli took part in the long batting session and spoke to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. Captain Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma also discussed with the head coach. After a disappointing T20I stretch where India lost 0-2 to Ireland and suffered a 0-4 nil against England, the focus has now shifted to the three-match ODI series. But ahead of the opening game at Edgbaston, it wasn’t just India’s preparations that caught the eye. During India’s training session in Birmingham on Monday, head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior batsman Virat Kohli were not seen interacting with each other, despite Gambhir spending considerable time with several other team members. TimesofIndia.com was present at the training session and noted that while Gambhir had numerous discussions with captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and other members of the support staff, there was no direct conversation between him and Kohli during the session.

No Kohli-Gambhir interaction at training

The biggest talking point from India’s final training session ahead of the first ODI was the absence of any visible interaction between Gambhir and Kohli.The encounter featured a complete 15-man squad, including ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and the entire bowling group. Prince Yadav also trained with the team, replacing the injured Harshit Rana in the ODI squad.Otherwise it was routine, the players going through batting, bowling and fielding practice. Shreyas Iyer did not bat in the nets while the rest of the batting line-up spent time in the middle.

Kohli interacts with Kotak

Meanwhile, Kohli completed a long batting session before spending time talking to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.Known for his lively discussions, the former India captain was seen gesticulating several times while talking to Kotak. However, unlike Gambhir’s interactions with other senior players, there was no visible exchange between the head coach and Kohli during practice.While it is possible that the inputs were passed through Kotak, no direct conversation between Kohli and Gambhir was seen during the session.

Gambhir spending time with Gill, Rohit

As the session progressed, Gambhir was involved in lengthy discussions with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, the rest of the coaching staff and Rohit Sharma.Like the previous day, Rohit joined the batting nets later after completing fielding practice. He then spent considerable time dealing with deliveries from handgun specialists.Another notable moment came when Gambhir and Shubman Gill were seen having a long discussion near the pitch. The pair appeared to assess the surface and conditions ahead of Tuesday’s series opener. Gambhir also had a chat with Rohit Sharma as India fine tune their preparations.