• Reports of discord within the Indian dressing room have resurfaced following India's 1-2 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a situation that is not unprecedented. Historically, such tensions have intensified during periods of transition accompanied by unfavourable outcomes. This was evident in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the team prepared to move beyond the legacies of Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Kapil Dev. A similar scenario unfolded in 2007-08 when Rahul Dravid stepped down as captain, coinciding with the retirements of Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly during the same series. The years 2011-12 also witnessed turmoil as Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid, and VVS Laxman were past their prime, leading to a streak of eight consecutive Test losses against England and Australia.
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• During that tour of Australia, Gautam Gambhir, who is now the head coach, was a key player and found himself embroiled in the controversy alongside then-captain MS Dhoni. This is not the first instance of Gambhir being at the centre of a dressing room dispute.
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• Following eight consecutive losses in overseas Tests, a beleaguered MS Dhoni implemented a rotation policy during the tri-series featuring Australia and Sri Lanka. Citing fielding issues, Dhoni began rotating Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Gambhir at the top of the batting order. This decision sparked numerous reports of a rift between Dhoni and Sehwag, who served as vice-captain during that tour. Both players did not hesitate to exchange barbs at each other during press conferences.

BCCI organizes a 'chai samosa' gathering to appease Indian journalists on the move

The series had taken on a conspiratorial tone, with reporters, players, and others discussing the so-called ‘rift,’ as reported by The Indian Express. To quell the ongoing speculation, the media manager of the Indian team organized a tea party featuring chai and samosas for the journalists accompanying the team.

The report noted that the media manager, a friendly elder, invited the journalists to this gathering. A player later joked privately, “I heard you won’t be covering the rift anymore. Sold out for a samosa?!”

Amidst this backdrop, there was a belief among the selectors that Gambhir was the ideal candidate to lead India in Test cricket. “Gambhir could be that guy,” remarked one selector. However, BCCI president N Srinivasan advocated for Dhoni, dismissing any notion of replacing him as captain.

Towards the end of the tour, selector Mohinder Amarnath made an appearance. While some semblance of peace was achieved, it was clear that Dhoni, who had overseen eight consecutive away Test losses—four in England and four in Australia—was to be succeeded by Gambhir.

In the days leading up to India’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka, Gambhir publicly expressed his readiness for the captaincy, stating, “I am ready for it … I have heard of the talks regarding becoming India’s captain.” Nevertheless, Board president N Srinivasan, whose IPL team was captained by Dhoni, reportedly rejected the selectors' proposal and retained Dhoni as the Test captain. Consequently, Gambhir’s prospects for captaincy were abruptly curtailed, and his performance declined, leading to his exclusion from the team.

Thirteen years later, following an unprecedented 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand and a 1-3 loss in Australia, coach Gambhir finds himself in a challenging position once again, with senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli experiencing one of their most difficult periods. Will this situation conclude favourably for Gambhir this time?

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