Former South African batsman AB de Villiers has opened up about the alleged rift inside the Indian dressing room during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). in Australia. AB de Villiers said such tensions are common, especially during tough overseas tours when players struggle with form.
Team India ended their Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign with a disappointing six-wicket defeat in the final Test in Sydney. This loss marked the end of India’s ten-year dominance over Australia in Tests series. Pat Cummins and his team once again won the prestigious Border-Gavaskar trophy.
Internal unrest reported in Indian cricket team ahead of Sydney Test
Ahead of the Sydney Test match between India and Australia, The Indian Express reported internal unrest in the Indian cricket team. The senior player reportedly wanted to position himself as ‘Mr. Fix-It’ in the midst of doubt about Rohit Sharmaleadership due to his poor performance in Test cricket in recent times.
Rohit Sharma has pulled out of the Sydney Test due to form issues, with Jasprit Bumrah took over as captain. However, Bumrah’s back spasms on Day 2 prevented the Indian team from defending the 161-run target. Bumrah did not come out to bowl in the fourth innings, forcing India to rely on two fast bowlers.
I know there were some rumors – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers said “where there’s smoke there’s fire” on rumors of unrest in the Indian dressing room. De Villiers said he was part of enemy dressing rooms during challenging overseas tours. He said the unrest in the dressing room could have affected the team’s performance.
“I know there were some rumors. I’m not surprised. When there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’ve been part of locker rooms where it was hostile. Especially when you’re away from home, missing your family and not playing the best cricket of your career,” De Villiers said.
“The dressing room is key, especially away from home. It’s easier at home. I have no doubt that the Indian team’s dressing room has lost a bit of that over the last few weeks in Australia. When you start to lose faith in each other, you might as well sit on the sidelines and hand over the trophy. I have no facts about the Indian dressing room. I’ll wait for the facts to see who messed with who!” he added.
We argued with each other – AB de Villiers
Reflecting on his personal experiences with the South African cricket team, AB de Villiers pointed out how negativity can infiltrate the dressing room during difficult times. He recalled the series against Australia in 2006, where South Africa lost 2-0 away and 3-0 at home.
“It’s very easy for bad things and bad habits to creep into the locker room. We also had it against Australia in 2006 when we lost 2-0 in Australia and then lost 3-0 in South Africa. We lost five out of six tests. There was no sunshine and roses in that dressing room, we argued with each other,” he said.
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