‘Bohot ho gaya’ - Frustrated Gautam Gambhir wants Indian players to stick to plan and not play ‘natural game’

The majority of the Indian batters failed to live up to the expectations in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Seniors such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have struggled to get going and players like Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill haven’t delivered, resulting in India trailing 2-1 in the series and are on the verge of missing out on the World Test Championship finale.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir was left frustrated with the batting performance in the Melbourne Test and issued a stern warning to all the cricketers after the 184-run defeat. As per reports, the 43-year-old didn’t hold back in his assessment after the game and called out players for not playing according to ‘plans discussed’ but doing their own thing in the name of ‘natural game’. 

As per Indian Express, Gambhir also said ‘bohot ho gaya’ in the dressing room and added that he gave enough freedom to the players in the ‘last six months’ but would now ‘decide’ how they go about business. In addition, Gambhir clarified that the players who won’t follow the pre-decided team strategy will be given a ‘thank you’. 

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It is also been reported that the dressing room environment is far from ideal, especially with the captain out of form with the bat. A senior cricketer is said to be taking an active role in becoming ‘Mr Fix it’ as he believes that the youngsters are not ready to take over the leadership roles. He is ready to project himself as the interim option but the team management isn’t sure if that’s the right move.

Meanwhile, Gambhir also pushed for the inclusion of Cheteshwar Pujara in the ongoing series but the selectors refused it. Even after an incredible win in Perth, the head coach wanted to include him in the squad but he was once again turned down. Currently, there isn’t any rift in the Indian dressing room but is believed that certain players are involved in a cold war. With reports of Rohit retiring from the format growing large, many current players are seeking leadership opportunities, which maybe making things worse.