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Everyone present at the SCG on Saturday witnessed a complete communication breakdown between the skipper and head coach.
Report suggests Rohit and Gambhir ignored each other ahead of Sydney Test. (Image: AFP)
Nobody would have believed that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 would be remembered for bizarre reasons. Despite winning the series opener in Perth and going 1-0 up, India crumbled to 1-2 in a matter of a month. Losses in Adelaide and Melbourne seemed to have opened a can of worms for captain Rohit Sharma, who now reportedly doesn’t fit into Gautam Gambhir’s scheme of things in the Test set-up.
A series of dramatic events unfolded on Thursday with Rohit at the receiving end. A day after reports of unrest in the Indian dressing room took social media by storm, Gambhir confronted the media but didn’t confirm his place in the Playing XI for the Sydney Test. Hours later, it was learned that Rohit wouldn’t play in the final fixture of the ongoing series while Jasprit Bumrah would be back in the captain’s shoes.
If the reported facts turn into reality, it will be the first instance in the history of Indian cricket when a captain will be dropped during a series. But more concerning are the reports of a cold relationship between coach Gambhir and captain Rohit, which was evident at the training ground on Thursday.
As per PTI, everyone present at the SCG witnessed a complete communication breakdown between the skipper and head coach.
Soon after the post-match press conference, Gambhir was seen engaged in a conversation with Bumrah while the rest of his teammates were warming up with a round of footvolley. Rohit and Rishabh Pant were on one side and Virat Kohli on the other. But suddenly, the penny dropped with a different-looking slip cordon.
While Pant was behind the stumps for the slip-catching session, the formation behind the batter had Virat Kohli at first slip, KL Rahul at second, Nitish Kumar Reddy at third with Yashasvi Jaiswal manning the gully. There were no signs of Rohit yet as one headed to the net practice area outside the main stadium.
Ravindra Jadeja was the first in the nets to receive throwdowns, but then Kohli entered followed by Jaiswal and KL Rahul. When Shubman Gill joined the fourth net, the batting sequence of the top order became somewhat clear. All this while, Rohit and Bumrah were in the dressing room.
Nearly 35 minutes after Pant finished his net session, Rohit quietly walked into the net arena without his kit. While Gambhir stood at the farthest net, talking to Bumrah, Rohit was at the other end conversing with video analyst Hari Prasad.
After the top order had almost finished their session, Rohit entered the nets. It was just like MCG where he had come to bat after all the recognised batters had finished their stint even though he was set to open the innings.
He stayed there for 30-odd minutes and looked a shadow of his old self. He was bowled after missing the line of T Dilip’s throwdown. His reactions to deliveries were late. The most interesting aspect was when Rohit was batting, at the adjacent nets, it was Reddy who was looking in fine touch as he middled most deliveries. The head coach was standing at the umpire’s position in the youngster’s nets as the captain went about his routines.
Once Rohit was done with his training, he, along with Bumrah and Agarkar, left the nets, but Gambhir stayed back.
(With PTI Inputs)
- Location :
Sydney, Australia
