Virat Kohli Ravi Shastri
Virat Kohli (L) and Ravi Shastri (R) during a practice session at LordsBEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

After days of speculation over rift in the Indian cricket team with two factions - one of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - having a tiff, finally, the silence was broken by India captain Kohli and the coach Ravi Shastri. 

Addressing the pre-tour conference, when Kohli was asked specifically about the recent media reports, Kohli said that his team could not have played as well as they have done with rifts in the team. When Kohli was pushed further, the Indian coach decided to answer the question himself and described all these reports as "nonsense." He also said that as per the culture of the team, no individual is bigger than the side. 

When the question was posed a second time and the story of Rohit unfollowing Anushka Sharma was brought up, Kohli gave a slightly angry reply. "I don't understand what people gain by spreading these kind of strories. Bringing the families of players into the conversation is 'frankly insulting.'" 

This was the strongest statement made by Kohli on this subject. Whether these statements will quell the rumours or not, only time will tell.