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Former South African batsman AB de Villiers spoke about the alleged fracture in the Indian dressing room during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia. AB de Villiers claimed that such strains 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 defeat marked the end of India’s decade-long dominance over Australia in the Test series. Pat Cummins and his team reclaimed the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Internal unrest reported in Indian cricket team ahead of Sydney Test
Before the Sydney Test match between India and Australia, The Indian Express reported internal unrest in the Indian cricket team. One senior player reportedly tried to position himself as ‘Mr. Fix-It’ amid doubts Rohit SharmaHis leadership because of his poor performance in Test cricket in recent times.
Rohit Sharma opted out of the Sydney Test due to form issues jasprit bumrah taking over as captain. However, Bumrah’s back spasms on Day 2 made it difficult for the Indian team to defend a target of 161 runs. Bumrah did not come to bowl in the fourth innings, forcing India to rely on two fast bowlers.
I know there have been some rumors – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers has claimed that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” regarding rumors of unrest in the Indian dressing room. De Villiers said he has been part of hostile dressing rooms during challenging overseas tours. He claimed that the unrest in the dressing room could have affected the team’s performance.
“I know there have been some rumors. I’m not surprised. When there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’ve been in locker rooms where it’s been hostile. Especially when you’re away from home, missing your family and you’re not playing the best cricket of your career,” De Villiers said.
“The dressing room is essential, especially away from home. It’s easier at home. I have no doubt that the Indian team dressing room might have 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 sides and hand over the trophy. I have no data on the Indian dressing room. I’ll wait for the facts to see who messed with who!” he added.
We fight each other – AB de Villiers
Reflecting on his personal experiences with the South African cricket team, AB de Villiers highlighted how negativity can creep into a dressing room during difficult times. He recalled the 2006 series against Australia, where South Africa lost 2-0 at home and 3-0 at home.
“It’s very easy for bad things and bad habits to enter the dressing room. We also had this 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 fight among ourselves”, he said.
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