Rift Between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? Speculations Grow As RCB Star Skips Padma Shri Wish

June 23 has always been a special date for former India captain Rohit Sharma. On this day in 2007, he made his international debut against Ireland. Although he did not get a chance to bat as India won the match comfortably, it marked the start of a legendary career. Nearly 19 years later, Rohit has received one of India's highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri, from President Droupadi Murmu. While cricket fans and the entire nation celebrated this achievement, some social media users began speculating about a possible rift between Rohit and Virat Kohli.

The speculation started because Virat Kohli did not post any congratulatory message for Rohit on social media after he received the award. Rohit shared pictures with the Padma Shri on both Instagram and X, and many fans looked for Virat's reaction in the comments section but found none. Virat has the third-most followers on Instagram(273M) and the second-most followers on X (69.5), which makes the expectation even higher. This led to discussions online, as Rohit and Virat have long been seen as close teammates who share a strong bond. Given Virat's huge social media presence, fans were expecting him to publicly congratulate Rohit on the honour.

The BCCI shared a video of Rohit receiving the Padma Shri on its official social media accounts and congratulated him on the achievement.

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan also praised Rohit and wrote:

Mumbai Indians star Suryakumar Yadav also congratulated Rohit through an Instagram story after he received the prestigious award.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to return, and fans have been waiting eagerly to see this duo in the blue jersey. India will play two T20Is with Ireland, followed by five T20Is and three ODIs against England. Shubman Gill will be leading the team.