Growing internal differences have created unrest within the Indian men’s cricket team, reports The Times of India. The report claims that these issues started after India’s 0-2 Test series defeat against South Africa on home soil and gradually affected the atmosphere inside the dressing room.
The differences between the selection committee and Gautam Gambhir’s coaching staff have further increased the tension. The BCCI is expected to review the team’s performance after the England tour, where the Men in Blue trail the five-match T20I series 3-0, ahead of the ODI series starting on July 14.
Tension has increased in the Indian dressing room since the South Africa series.
The atmosphere inside the Indian dressing room has changed after the 0-2 defeat in the home Test series against South Africa. Specifically, the report claims that the dressing room is no longer a happy place, with disagreements over selection and team management increasing behind the scenes.
The report said that differences of opinion between the selectors and Gautam Gambhir’s support staff have made planning and decision making more difficult. It claimed that these issues have continued for the past few months despite India’s current white-ball tour of Ireland and England.
The report said, “This possible move is not because of the team’s poor performances in Ireland and England, but because of some things that have been going on over the last few months. It turns out that the rift in the dressing room has run deep since the two-Test defeat against South Africa at home and it is not the happiest of places at the moment. Matters have been further complicated by disagreements between the selectors and the coaching staff.”
BCCI will review the team’s performance after the England tour
BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia said that the board is closely monitoring India’s performance during the ongoing T20 series against England. He confirmed that the BCCI will hold a review meeting after the end of the England tour on July 19.
“The BCCI is currently monitoring the performance of the Indian T20 team, which has not been able to perform well in the ongoing series against England. However, this is not something unusual and can happen in international cricket. We consider this to be a temporary bad phase. Once the ODI series is over on July 19 and the team returns, we will have a review meeting with the key members of the team and discuss what went wrong in England. Since there is an ODI series, we are hopeful that the team will return in good form.”
Saikia said, “The review meeting will be purely about the team’s performance and how improvements can be made with respect to the shortcomings. Apart from this, nothing else will be discussed.”
Gautam Gambhir-led coaching setup may change after England tour
However, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia said that the review meeting will focus only on the team’s performance. The report claims that a change in the coaching staff cannot be ruled out. It is noteworthy that BCCI can review the existing support staff before India’s tour of Sri Lanka.
The report says that the coming weeks will be important for Gautam Gambhir and his support staff. If some members decide to leave, India could travel to Sri Lanka with a new-sized coaching group. The board will also assess the overall composition of the team after reviewing the England tour.
Notably, the current situation is a far cry from the smooth transition that took place after Rahul Dravid, Vikram Rathod and Paras Mhambrey stepped down following India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win. Gambhir had formed his preferred support staff after taking charge, but alleged internal disagreements could now lead to another major change.
