Cricket news round-up – 30 July: Kohli quashes rumours of rift with Rohit

Virat Kohli denied there was a rift between himself and Rohit Sharma in the Indian team, and said these rumours were disrespectful to all concerned. He also revealed the CAC was yet to contact him on the matter of head coach, but said he’d be “happy” if Ravi Shastri continued in the role.

Elsewhere, the ICC launched the World Test Championship, and Chris Gayle’s century in the Global T20 League Canada went in vain.

‘Baffling, ridiculous, disrespectful’ – Kohli quashes rumours

Virat Kohli has moved to quash rumours of a rift in the Indian team, saying some of the reports, of a feud between him and Rohit Sharma, were “baffling” and “ridiculous”.

 “It’s baffling, to be honest. It’s absolutely ridiculous to read such stuff that comes out there,” he said before the team departed for the West Indies tour. “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. I’ve seen this for too long now, bringing personal lives into the picture. It’s disrespectful at the moment.

“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.”

Kohli ‘happy’ if Shastri continues as coach

Even as the Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee looks at the next India head coach, Virat Kohli has batted for them to retain Ravi Shastri in the position.

Shastri is currently operating on a 45-day extension of his contract, and Kohli said he would be “happy” if he continued in the role, given the team shares “great camaraderie” with him.

“Well, the CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) has not contacted me on this. But all of us share a great camaraderie with Ravi Shastri and would definitely be very happy (with him around),” Kohli said. “But as I had said, it’s on the CAC to decide (how to go about it).”

ICC launches World Test Championship

The ICC officially launched the World Test Championship on Monday – a new tournament that they said would bring structure and context to Test cricket.

The tournament, set to begin with the Ashes on 1 August in Edgbaston, will be played over two years, comprising nine teams, 27 series and 71 Tests. The top two sides in the league at the end of those Tests will play the final.

“We are awaiting the ICC World Test Championship with great enthusiasm as it adds context to the longest format of the game,” Kohli told ICC. “Test cricket is very challenging and coming out on top in the traditional form is always highly satisfying. The Indian team has done really well in recent years and will be fancying its chances in the championship.”

Global T20 Canada round-up

Toronto Nationals suffered their second defeat in three games after the Winnipeg Hawks beat them by three wickets on Monday.

The Nationals posted 216/7, thanks to half-centuries from Rodrigo Thomas and Kieron Pollard, along with Yuvraj Singh’s 26-ball 45. This despite Dwayne Bravo’s 4/39.

However, Chris Lynn’s 48-ball 89, followed by good knocks from Shaiman Anwar (43) and Sunny Sohal (58) helped the Hawks withstand a middle-order collapse and seal victory off the last ball.

In the day’s other match, Chris Gayle hammered a 54-ball 122* as Vancouver Knights posted 276/3 against Montreal Tigers. However, a storm arrived during the interval, and the match was abandoned.

Brampton lead the table with two wins from two, followed by the Hawks who have two wins from three. Edmonton Royals are still win-less and are propping up the table.