Two bosses, divided dressing room: Rohit has to score & Gambhir needs to tone down for India Champions Trophy success

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India's recent 4-1 T20I series victory over England, highlighted by Abhishek Sharma's explosive century in the final match, has indeed provided a positive momentum for the Indian team. However, the team faces challenges as it transitions to the ODI series against the same opposition and prepares for the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Captain Rohit Sharma's recent form has been a concern. After a productive series in Sri Lanka in August, where he scored 157 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 141.44, his performance has seen a sharp decline. This dip has led to discussions about his role and the team's composition.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has emphasised the significant roles that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are expected to play in the Champions Trophy, expressing confidence in their ability to add value to the team despite their recent performances.

As the team prepares for the ODI series against England, starting on Thursday (February 6), and looks ahead to the Champions Trophy, balancing experience with current form will be crucial.

The management's decisions during this period will be very crucial to maintain sanctity in the dressing room. The problem isn't much with the form and fitness of players as much as with the hierarchy. The problem is that this dressing room has two bosses - Rohit and Gambhir.

To solve this riddle, BCCI has appointed a batting coach in Sitanshu Kotak, who is supposed to keep the two power-houses at bay. But for certain, Rohit will have to strike form in the ODI series against England to avoid being in another Gambhir crossfire. Otherwise, a repeat of the Sydney Test can't be ruled out. In that Test, captain Rohit had to sit out.

The good thing is that Rohit has taken this challenge in his stride. He doesn't want to go down without a fight and hope it's not an ego battle. If it is an ego struggle, Rohit is bond to face the music. Whereas, if Gambhir thinks that he is the boss, he is mistaken as that sort of arrangement has never worked in Indian cricket.

It has always been the captain who is the boss of the team not the coach. If Gambhir is forcefully changing the arrangement, there will be repercussions too. That is because he is going against the law of the land. How this will work remains to be seen in the next few weeks!