Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir were seen engaged in an intense chat during India's practice session in Perth on Thursday (October 16).
The video, uploaded by RevSportz on YouTube, quickly gained traction
online as it marked Rohit's first serious on-field interaction with the head coach since losing the ODI captaincy earlier this month.
Rohit, who guided India to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year, was replaced by Shubman Gill after the BCCI named the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia starting October 19. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed during a press briefing that he personally spoke to Rohit before the decision was made official, explaining the selectors' plan to move forward with Gill as the new leader.
During Thursday's training, Rohit and Virat Kohli both faced the nets together for about 30 minutes, batting side by side in a rare sight for fans. Kohli was later seen holding a long conversation with bowling coach Morne Morkel and shared a light-hearted exchange with pacer Arshdeep Singh.
Greatest coach Guru Gambhir motivating fitter Rohit Sharma, hope Rohit fans get some reality check too. pic.twitter.com/Uu1nEkLEfD
- Abhishek (@vicharabhio) October 16, 2025
The Indian team landed in Perth in two batches over Wednesday and Thursday to begin preparations for the white-ball leg of the tour, which features three ODIs followed by five T20Is from October 29. Both Rohit and Kohli, who have retired from Tests and T20Is, are expected to play key roles in what could be their final bilateral series in Australia.
India will be aiming to continue their upsurge in the 50-over format as they take on Australia in the crucial ODI series. It will be important for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as well, who will have to prove their form and fitness for selection for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
India Squad for Australia ODI Series
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
