New Delhi: Star India wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa said he found it “strange” that head coach Gautam Gambhir did not acknowledge Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the press conference after India clinched the ODI series 2-1 against South Africa.
Virat Kohli ended the three-match ODI series with 302 runs, which included two centuries, while Rohit contributed 146 runs with two fifties. Uthappa said it felt odd that their standout performances weren’t acknowledged.
“What I found surprising is the post-match of that series, in the press conference, I didn’t see Gautam giving credit to either Rohit or Virat, which just felt weird,” Uthappa said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Robin said Gambhir’s silence felt strange
Robin further said both the star batter delivered an impressive performances, and Gambhir’s silence felt strange.
“Here are a couple of guys who’ve batted out of their skins and shown us again how good they are and how good they can be. They reduced all kinds of doubts and shut down any naysayers about what they actually can do and will do for India when they are in the right kind of form. That felt strange,” he said.
Rohit and Kohli now represents India in only one format after stepping away from Tests and T20Is. They have been in strong form across the last two bilateral series. Yet Gambhir has avoided giving a clear stance on whether they figure in plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Ajit Agarkar hasn’t offered a definitive answer either
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has faced similar questions but hasn’t offered a definitive answer either, repeatedly noting, along with Gambhir, that the tournament is still over two years away.
“They are part of the squad at the moment in Australia. They are incredible players, but it is not the forum to harp on about individual players. Two years from now, it is difficult to say what the situation will be. Who knows, there can be younger players who will take the spot. Both are great players, and they will not be put to the test in every match. Once they start playing, we will assess the situation. It is about winning trophies, not just runs. It is not like if they score three hundreds in the Australia series, they will play the World Cup in 2027. We have to take the situation into consideration,” Agarkar had said at the NDTV World Summit 2025.
“Look, 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present,” Gambhir had said after India’s 2-0 Test series win over West Indies.