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After a disappointing T20I leg that saw India lose 0-2 to Ireland and suffer a 0-4 whitewash against England, attention has now shifted to the three-match ODI series. But ahead of the opening match at Edgbaston, it wasn’t just India’s preparations that grabbed attention. During India’s training session in Birmingham on Monday, head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior batter Virat Kohli were notably not seen interacting, despite Gambhir spending considerable time with several other members of the squad. TimesofIndia.com was present at the practice session and observed that while Gambhir held multiple 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 practice
The biggest talking point from India’s final training session before the first ODI was the absence of any visible interaction between Gambhir and Kohli.The session featured the full 15-member squad, including ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and the entire bowling group. Prince Yadav, who replaced the injured Harshit Rana in the ODI squad, also trained with the team.It was otherwise a routine session, with players going through batting, bowling and fielding drills. Shreyas Iyer did not bat in the nets, while the rest of the batting group spent time in the middle.
Kohli interacts with Kotak
Kohli, meanwhile, completed a lengthy batting session before spending time in conversation with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.The former India captain, known for his animated discussions, was seen gesturing several times while speaking with Kotak. However, unlike Gambhir’s interactions with other senior players, there was no visible exchange between the head coach and Kohli during the practice session.While it is possible that inputs were relayed through Kotak, no direct conversation between Kohli and Gambhir was seen during the training session.
Gambhir spends 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 his fielding drills. He then spent considerable time facing deliveries from the sidearm specialists.Another notable moment came when Gambhir and Shubman Gill were seen having a long discussion near the pitch. The pair appeared to be assessing the surface and the conditions ahead of Tuesday’s series opener. Gambhir also had another extended chat with Rohit Sharma as India fine-tuned their preparations.
