Gautam Gambhir Breaks Silence On Dressing Room Leaks, Slams ‘Natural Game’ Excuse

NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized the importance of keeping internal "debates" within the dressing room, stating that he has had "honest" conversations with his players as performance remains the key to staying in the team.

Addressing reports of unrest in the dressing room, Gambhir dismissed them as mere rumors, saying, "They were just reports, not truth." He added, "Debates between coach and player should remain in the dressing room. Stern words. They were just reports, not truth."

Gambhir underscored the significance of honesty in the team's environment and reiterated that Indian cricket would remain secure as long as genuine individuals are involved.

"Indian cricket will be in safe hands till honest people stay in the dressing room. Only thing that keeps you in the dressing room is performance. There were honest words and honesty is important," he said.

He also stressed the importance of a team-first approach: "There is only one tendency and there is only one discussion - it's the team first ideology that matters. You need to play what the team needs. You can still play your natural game in a team sport - but if the team needs you - you need to play in a certain way."

The head coach clarified that his discussions with senior players like Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma were focused solely on strategies to secure victories. "Every individual knows what areas to work on. We have only had one conversation with them (and that is) how to win Test matches," he said.

Gambhir also revealed that pacer Akash Deep would miss the upcoming Test due to a stiff back but did not disclose his replacement.

India will face Australia in the fifth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting January 3. With Australia leading the series 2-1, they are on the verge of retaining the BGT for the first time since 2014-15 if they avoid defeat at the MCG.

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