Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has criticized reports suggesting that Gautam Gambhir has named the player responsible for the leak in the dressing room during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Aakash Chopra questioned why such sensitive information was leaked and expressed concern about the possible impact.
Gambhir was appointed head coach in July ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. India started strongly with a 3-0 T20I series win against Sri Lanka but lost the ODI series 0-2. The team bounced back with a 3-0 T20I series win and a 2-0 Test series win against Bangladesh, including a win in the rain-affected Kanpur Test.
Someone spread the story that Gautam Gambhir is… – Aakash Chopra
India suffered a 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand, followed by a 1-3 defeat in Australia. It was reported that Gambhir reprimanded the players before the last Test. Gambhir reportedly accused Sarfaraz Khan of leaking dressing room talks to the media during the series review with BCCI.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra stated that stories based on sources can harm a player’s career. He urged people to avoid spreading leaked claims that could jeopardize the young player’s future.
“It’s again a source-driven story. Someone spread the story that Gautam Gambhir said in the screening meeting that the kid is responsible for all the leaks in the dressing room. Whether the story about that kid is true or not, but what Gautam said is also leaked and reached this journalist,” he said (8:30).
“You start to wonder. One leak confirms another leak. What’s going on? How much damage it can do to a child, just think about it. The child won’t react, and they shouldn’t. Why ruin a little child’s life? Don’t throw someone’s name in the air like that, Chopra added.
Indian fans still remember the controversial coaching period under Greg Chappell from 2005 to 2007. His tenure ended with India’s disappointing exit in the first round of the 2007 ODI World Cup.
Jasprit Bumrah called it – Aakash Chopra
In the same video, Aakash Chopra highlighted the unreliability of some source-based reports, citing a recent example involving Jasprit Bumrah. He pointed out that Bumrah himself refuted the claim that he was advised bed rest by tweeting that it was false.
“Sources are sometimes unreliable and that happened. Jasprit Bumrah called it out. Someone broke the news that Jasprit Bumrah was advised to rest. Bumrah tweeted that quote and said it’s fake news, which is very easy to spread. Then you ask a question , if Bumrah hadn’t called it out, fake news would have become true,” he said.
You have to refute such news every time – Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator stressed the importance of refuting fake news, especially when it comes from unreliable sources. He noted that while it was easy for Bumrah to clarify the situation, journalists should check whether their sources are correct.
“You need to refute such a news every time. Nowadays, when there are too many news based on sources, people even have their own personal agenda. Bumrah is a phenomenal player, so it’s easy for him. A reporter may have to do some introspection about whether his source is was wrong or jumped the gun too early,” Chopra explained.
Jasprit Bumrah was unable to bowl during the second half of the first innings for Australia and their second innings in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy final due to back spasms. India will be hoping for his speedy recovery ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which is being played in Pakistan and Dubai.
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