"Noise will be around as long as we're playing" - Rohit Sharma on bond with Virat Kohli

India's white-ball captain Rohit Sharma has brushed aside speculation of an alleged rift between himself and former skipper Virat Kohli. Sharma stated that outside noise doesn't bother them.

Theories of a possible clash between Kohli and Sharma have emerged in the headlines in recent times. However, both cricketers have categorically denied all such claims.

Rohit Sharma once again stressed that outside noise doesn't make any sense to them and doesn't affect the dressing room. Speaking at the end of the third ODI against the West Indies, which the Men in Blue won by 96 runs, the Indian captain said:

"Noise will be around as long as we're playing. People look up to us, everybody watches us. As players, as individuals, we know what we need to focus on. Outside noise doesn't bother the dressing room."

Incidentally, there was speculation that Virat Kohli might skip the limited-overs series against West Indies with Sharma at the helm. It turned out to be false with the talismanic run-scorer featuring in both the ODI and T20I squads.

More so, Kohli was seen talking to his skipper multiple times in between overs, perhaps discussing field placements and strategies.

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"It was important to get him back slowly" - Rohit Sharma on Kuldeep Yadav's return

The spotlight during the third ODI between India and West Indies was on Kuldeep Yadav, who returned to the playing XI after a long injury-induced break. The chinaman bowler has had a rollercoaster ride in the last couple of years, having lost his captains' confidence both in international cricket and the IPL.

The 27-year-old spinner from Uttar Pradesh looked pretty much on song apart from a couple of short-pitch deliveries in Ahmedabad on his return. Yadav picked up two wickets, which will give him the confidence ahead of the T20Is.

Rohit Sharma asserted that both Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are important to India's plans and both will play together again at some stage. The 34-year-old said:

"Both Kuldeep and Chahal are crucial players for us. Especially Kuldeep. Chahal was very much in the plans and Kuldeep went off the radar. It was important to get him back slowly. Important to give them that confidence. We start expecting things early than expected, important to give them some cushion. Pretty sure we'll see them together soon."

Meanwhile, India also seem to have found the answers to their long-drawn middle-order conundrum. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer have stepped up after the hosts lost their top-order batters early in the second and third ODI against the West Indies.

Rohit Sharma believes the performance from the middle-order will be the biggest takeaway from this series moving forward. He concluded:

"That was the biggest takeaway for us - the middle order batting. Today was again a great game for the middle order. We were 40/3. For me that's the biggest takeaway."

The contingent now shifts to Kolkata for the three-match T20I series, which starts on February 16.