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Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary lashed out at India head coach Gautam Gambhir, accusing him of forcing seniors Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin into retirement. Raising questions about his management style, Tiwary said he has observed that several controversies have taken place ever since Gambhir took charge of the team.
Ashwin retired from Test cricket midway through India's tour of Australia last year, while Rohit and Kohli quit Test cricket within a span of a week before India toured England. Rohit and Kohli were reportedly informed that they were no longer seen in India's plans in the longest format. Shubman Gill replaced Rohit as captain and led India to a 2-2 draw in the Test series in England.
Gill also took over the reins from Rohit in the ODIs last week as he was appointed as India's captain in the fifty-over format ahead of the upcoming tour of Australia. Though both Rohit and Kohli are part of the ODI squad, speculation has intensified over the duo's future with Team India. Criticising Gambhir, Tiwary said that he has ensured that there are no seniors in the dressing room to raise questions if they don't agree with his decisions.
"If the senior players are there, if Ashwin is there, if Rohit is there, then these guys have played so much cricket, these guys are established much more than the head coach or the other staff, these guys will raise questions if they don't agree to a point. You just made sure that these guys are not there, basically," Tiwary told InsideSport.
"I have observed that since this coach took on the role, a lot of controversies have arisen. Many things that are happening are not good for Indian cricket. I believe that since the time he has been the head coach, Ashwin has taken a retirement. Rohit and Virat have also done so. Other things have happened, such as players being unexpectedly added to the squad and then being straight into the starting XI. We have seen that Gambhir has not been consistent," he added.
Both Kohli and Rohit have been included in India's ODI squad for their upcoming tour of Australia, however, their future remains uncertain in international cricket. While some reports have claimed that Rohit and Kohli are not part of India's plans for the ODI World Cup 2027, others have claimed that the duo's selection will be based on merit going forward.
Sharing his opinion on Kohli and Rohit's future in ODIs, Tiwary said the duo might consider retiring if they feel they are not wanted in the Indian dressing room. The two senior batters are only active in ODIs, having already quit Tests and T20Is, leaving them with little game time for India throughout the year, which might play a huge role in them deciding their future.
“If these players feel that things are affecting their image and they (Rohit and Kohli) are no longer wanted in the dressing room, then they might consider retiring. I believe they want to play. I think Gambhir won't take this big a call of not having these two individuals because, in the white-ball format, no one can deny the fact that these two have been outstanding. It would be a really poor decision if Gautam doesn't include these two in the scheme of things for the World Cup," said Tiwary.
Kohli and Rohit last played together for India in the Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this year. Rohit led India to a memorable triumph in the tournament in what turned out to be his last major assignment as captain for the country. The duo featured in the IPL 2025 and will now return to action in the three-match series against Australia, which is set to get underway on October 19.
