Rohit Sharma breaks silence amid speculation of Virat Kohli rift

The 2019 World Cup's leading run-scorer has taken to social media following reports the pair have fallen out - which the India captain has denied

India batsman Rohit Sharma has posted a cryptic message via social media amid reports he has fallen out with captain Virat Kohli.

Relations between the pair are said to be strained, with local media suggesting that key decisions taken during the World Cup and an episode involve each of their wives are central to the supposed rift.

Kohli has dismissed such reports as "absolutely ridiculous" as both players prepare to take part in the eight-match tour of the United States and the West Indies which includes three T20s, three one-day internationals and two Tests through August and the start of September.

Sharma is the vice-captain of both white-ball squads and his World Cup form, in which he became the first player to score five centuries at a single tournament, has won him a return to the Test squad.

Breaking his silence following the reports, the 32-year-old wrote on Twitter: "I don't just walk out for my team. I walk out for my country."

I don’t just walk out for my Team. I walk out for my country. pic.twitter.com/S4RFkC0pSk

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 31, 2019

Whether the post is directly linked to the current reported feud between himself and Kohli is unknown but the story provides an otherwise intriguing subplot ahead of the matches in the Caribbean.

During a press conference earlier in the week, the India skipper left reporters under no illusion that there was no foundation to the story regarding himself and Sharma, and was mystified over how such reports came to fruition.

"In my opinion, it's baffling, to be honest. It's absolutely ridiculous to read such stuff that comes out there," Kohli said, prior to India departing for the upcoming tour. 

"Here we are feeding off lies, we are overlooking facts, we are turning a blind eye to all the good things that have happened and creating fantasies and scenarios in our head and we want to accept that this is the truth.

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"And I've seen this for too long now, you know bringing personal lives into the picture, it's disrespectful at the moment. I've played the game for 11 years, Rohit has played for 10 years. It's bizarre that you people are creating this on the outside when, as I said, [so much] about the change room environment.

"If the team environment was not good, we wouldn't have played the way we have in the last two-three years. I know very well how important the dressing-room environment and the trust factor are to succeed in international cricket. If that wasn't there, we wouldn't have been here in world cricket."

Such speculation comes during a difficult week for Indian cricket, following Prithvi Shaw's eight-month ban for an anti-doping violation which makes him unavailable until mid-November.

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