There are serious problems brewing inside Team India, and it’s worse than we initially thought. These issues didn’t just pop up after the recent loss in Melbourne; they’ve been building even before the team arrived in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The tension among captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the players is creating a rift that could hurt the team in the future. Under the previous coach Rahul Dravid, players were kept in the loop. They were informed about their selection or exclusion clearly, unlike during the Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri era, where communication was often lacking. For instance, Wriddhiman Saha found out he was no longer in the team when he was told that KS Bharat would take over as the wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant.
Breaking bad news is tough, but Dravid handled it well, even if it made him unpopular at times. However, with Rohit and Gambhir now in charge, it feels like the team has taken a step back.
When Shubman Gill was left out of the Playing XI in Melbourne and Ravichandran Ashwin watched Washington Sundar play instead of him in Perth, it showed the cracks in the team’s communication. Although Rohit and Gambhir claimed they talked about these decisions, both Ashwin and Gill displayed confusion and disappointment, telling a different story.
An Indian player expressed frustration about the lack of communication: “I ran into a reserve player at a kebab shop late one night. He asked me if Rohit had mentioned him to me. He looked downcast and said, ‘Nobody says anything to me. Not the captain or the coach. I don’t know what’s going on.’” This comment highlights how some players feel left out and uncertain about their positions in the team.
The three reserve players on tour are Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed. Of these, Saini has played in the last Test series in Australia, while Mukesh has appeared in three Tests.
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