India’s preparations for the opening ODI against England at Edgbaston have been overshadowed by fresh reports suggesting a lack of interaction between Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir, reigniting speculation about a strained relationship within the camp.
According to a report by Times Now, Gambhir was seen interacting with several senior players, including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul, during India’s training session. However, neither reporters nor cameras spotted any direct conversation between the head coach and Kohli throughout the practice.
Instead, Kohli spent most of his time batting in the nets, where he was seen in an extended discussion with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. Kotak later held a separate conversation with Gambhir, further fuelling speculation over the reported distance between the coach and the former India captain.
The development has once again sparked talk of a possible rift between two of Indian cricket’s biggest personalities, although neither Kohli nor Gambhir has commented publicly on the reports.
The England ODI series marks Kohli’s return to international cricket after he missed the home series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL 2026 final while representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His comeback comes at a crucial time, with India looking to recover after disappointing T20I series defeats against Ireland and England.
Meanwhile, captain Shubman Gill revealed that he recently held discussions with Kohli about India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, underlining the veteran’s continued importance to the team’s long-term plans.
“As I said, we were talking about the combination. Which combination would be best for us in South Africa? Which players are there who may not be in the team now but can help us in the future? Which bowlers are there? Which all-rounders? Which spinners? So, we were talking about all that,” Gill said.
The reported tension comes at a difficult time for Gambhir, whose tenure has already come under scrutiny following India’s back-to-back T20I series losses overseas. The head coach has also faced criticism over frequent changes in selection, particularly the handling of Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the UK tour.
While there has been no official confirmation of any rift between Kohli and Gambhir, the reported lack of interaction has inevitably drawn attention ahead of the ODI series. Whether it reflects genuine differences or simply contrasting working styles remains unclear, but with India looking to begin a new ODI World Cup cycle on a positive note, the focus will be on performances rather than off-field speculation.
