India coach Gautam Gambhir during a net session at The Kia Oval.

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has slammed coach Gautam Gambhir for creating an atmosphere that forced Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin to retire.“If the senior players are there, if Ashwin is there, if Rohit is there, then these guys have played so much cricket, these guys are established much more than the head coach or the other staff. These guys will raise questions if they don’t agree with a point. You just made sure that these guys are not there, basically,” Tiwary told Inside Sport.“I have observed that since this coach took on the role, a lot of controversies have arisen.“Many things that are happening are not good for Indian cricket. I believe that since the time he has been the head coach, Ashwin has taken retirement.“Rohit and Virat have also done so. Other things have happened, such as players being unexpectedly added to the squad and then being straight into the starting XI. We have seen that Gambhir has not been consistent,” he said.“I believe the circumstances that have been created, the atmosphere that has been created, and the pressure that is there on these players—Rohit and Virat have been outstanding servants of Indian cricket.“They have taken Indian cricket to new heights. The players who give their heart and soul, we have seen, have given their everything.“If these players feel that things are affecting their image and they are no longer wanted in the dressing room, then they might consider retiring.

“I believe they want to play. I think Gambhir won’t take such a big call of not having these two individuals because, in the white-ball format, no one can deny the fact that these two have been outstanding.“It would be a really poor decision if Gautam doesn’t include these two in the scheme of things for the World Cup,” he added.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are part of India’s ODI squad for the upcoming Australia series. Shubman Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as captain.