Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma cannot get along with each other. That was the general sense in various circles, but there was never a shred of evidence to prove one of the most controversial episodes of Indian cricket in the current era.

However, the incidents of the past few days have given some credence to the fact that all is possibly not well between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two giants of the game in a country besotted with their cricket stars.

So, what led to such rumours in the first place? Virat Kohli has been effusive in his praise for Rohit Sharma, the only cricketer with 3 double hundreds in one-day internationals. Kohli has never shied away from admitting Rohit is a far more talented cricketer, a far more gifted batsman.

These two have known each other for years. While Rohit Sharma made his debut for India in 2007, Virat Kohli broke into the team the next year. Over the next decade, the two young men carved their own niche with runs, records and accolades.

What happened, then? Why this tectonic shift in their relationship?

In all fairness, there has never been a public fallout. There has never been a statement out of place by either Kohli or Rohit against the other. Before the T20I series against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were categorical in their stance – Virat Kohli will have a huge role to play in the team as a leader.

These rumours of a rift date back to a couple of years. But such gossip has always been part of Indian cricket. Legends who do not get along with each other in a dressing-room. What is so new? Is there some truth to what the rumour mills were churning out about Kohli and Rohit?

One could sense something would give when Virat Kohli announced his decision to step down as India’s T20I captain shortly before the World Cup got underway in the UAE. In a statement, Kohli said he was giving up the captaincy reins in the shortest format to manage his workload, but he was clear about continuing to lead India in Tests and ODIs.

And then, India lost to Pakistan and New Zealand, exiting from the group stages.

There was no immediate announcement of an official replacement for Virat Kohli as T20I captain, but Rohit Sharma was named skipper in the 3-match series against New Zealand as Virat Kohli took a break from the series and the first Test of the 2-match series. India whitewashed New Zealand in the T20Is and defeated them 1-0 in the Tests.

And then, the squad for the Test series in South Africa was named. Ajinkya Rahane was sacked as Test vice-captain and Rohit Sharma was named Kohli’s new deputy. No surprises there. Rahane’s form was such that he was lucky to get another opportunity to be on tour despite Shreyas Iyer’s historic debut in Kanpur.

However, within a few minutes, BCCI tweeted to say Rohit Sharma has been named captain of India’s ODI and T20I sides going forward. That came as a shocker. Just a few weeks back, Kohli had asserted his wish to stay on as skipper in the longer formats and here, it was being taken away from him in a terse, one-line tweet.

Speculation was rife right at that moment. Kohli did not want to give up his ODI captaincy but BCCI wasn’t having any of it. After hours of silence, the BCCI president said the board had requested Virat Kohli to stay on as T20I captain, and that the selectors were not in favour of splitting the captaincy in the shortest format. It was understood thereafter that losing the ODI captaincy then was a foregone conclusion for Kohli.

Now, here are the takeaways. That the board was not keen on the split captaincy in the shorter formats seems a fair judgment call.

But could it have been done better?

Especially when Virat Kohli had publically stated he wanted to continue as ODI captain.

Goals & excitement
Working with Rahul Dravid @imVkohli‘s legacy as India’s white-ball captain #TeamIndia‘s new white-ball captain @ImRo45 discusses it all in this special feature for https://t.co/Z3MPyesSeZ

Watch the full interview https://t.co/JVS0Qff905 pic.twitter.com/kFlqZxWh5t

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 13, 2021

Following the announcement, there was radio silence from the Virat Kohli camp while Rohit Sharma, in an interview with bcci.tv, heaped praise on the former and underlined India’s grit and determination to win every match against India. And then, Rohit Sharma, recently appointed vice-captain of India’s Test side and captain of India’s ODI and T20I sides, pulled out of the Test series in South Africa.

No, that was not all.

The next day, reports emerged that Virat Kohli is set to make himself unavailable for the ODI series.

Now, does it not look like neither man wants to play under the other as captain? Maybe Rohit’s hamstring is a serious issue but what happened suddenly? He took a break from the Test series and had even started training.

Maybe Virat Kohli wants to take a break from the ODI series because his daughter turns 1 on January 11. But that is when the third Test starts and there is no word of Kohli not playing the final Test. It is the ODI series Kohli is considering missing – the first match will be played on January 19.

Are we reading too much into it? As Mohammad Azharuddin said, the timing has just not been right and this just gives such speculation a leg to stand on.

Virat Kohli has informed that he’s not available for the ODI series & Rohit Sharma is unavailable fr d upcoming test. There is no harm in takin a break but d timing has to be better. This just substantiates speculation abt d rift. Neither wil be giving up d other form of cricket.

— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) December 14, 2021

“Virat Kohli has informed that he’s not available for the ODI series & Rohit Sharma is unavailable fr d upcoming test. There is no harm in takin a break but d timing has to be better. This just substantiates speculation abt d rift. Neither wil be giving up d another form of cricket,” Azharuddin tweeted as fans appeared to be puzzled with developments on successive days.

Such rifts are not uncommon in Indian cricket. But in the day and age of social media, these problems become more complex and controversies gather steam quickly.

Could all of this have been nipped in the bud? Could there have been an easier solution? Did the ODI captaincy have to change hands more than a month before India’s next assignment in the format? Could the news of Kohli looking to skip the ODI series not have been leaked?

But that’s Indian cricket for you. There is always a twist to the plot, at every turn.