Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (L) put on 100 runs for the second wicket and Gautam Gambhir
Credit: X@BCCI, X@GautamGambhir
Virat Kohli responded to critics with a sensational century in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday.
The former captain's 52nd ODI ton coupled with excellent spells by Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana helped India secure a 17-run win.
The knock came following India's disappointing show in the Test series, suffering their second whitewash in the format at home in 12 months.
After the match, captain KL Rahul, leading in the absence of Shubman Gill, was seen cutting a cake in the hotel as a part of the celebrations.
In a video which has now gone viral on social media, Kohli, who was named Player of the Match, entered the lobby during the celebration but refused to join the team despite repeated calls from his teammates. Instead, the veteran batter walked past the gathering and headed directly towards the elevator.
Another video had surfaced where Kohli was seen ignoring head coach Gautam Gambhir in the dressing room after he was dismissed.
Meanwhile, Gambhir and former skipper Rohit Sharma, who also scored a half-century, were seen having an intense conversation even during the celebration as they stood behind Rahul.
Earlier, the two were seen in an animated discussion in the dressing room moments after India's win in the first ODI, which was joined by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
There are rumours of the two senior players not happy with the support staff and the selection committee amid talks about their future in international cricket. Both Sharma and Kohli only play the ODI format after having retired from Tests and T20Is.
India have won two of their last four ODI matches, with either Kohli or Sharma earning the Player of the Match award.
In Australia, Sharma scored 73 and 121 to claim the Player of the Series, and followed it up with a 57 in Ranchi.
Kohli, meanwhile, bounced back from successive ducks to scores of 74 and 135 in the last two games.