Former South African batsman AB de Villiers has spoken about the alleged rift in 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 decade-long dominance over Australia in the Test series. Pat Cummins and his team claimed the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Internal disturbances reported in Indian cricket team ahead of Sydney Test
Ahead of the Sydney Test match between India and Australia, The Indian Express reported internal turmoil in the Indian cricket team. A senior player would have sought to position himself as “Mr. Fix-It' amid doubts over Rohit Sharma's leadership due to his poor performance in Test cricket of late.
Rohit Sharma pulled out of the Sydney Test due to form issues and Jasprit Bumrah took over as captain. However, Bumrah's back spasms on Day 2 hampered the Indian team's defense of the 161-run target. 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 said “where there's smoke, there's fire” on rumors of unrest in the Indian dressing room. De Villiers said he was part of hostile dressing rooms during challenging overseas tours. He stated that the unrest in the locker room could have affected the team's performance.
“I know there have been some rumours. I'm not surprised. When there's smoke, there's fire. I've been in locker rooms where it was hostile. Especially when you are away from home, missing your family and not playing the best cricket of your career,” De Villiers said.
“The winger is crucial, especially away from home. It's easier at home. I have no doubt that the Indian team dressing room would have lost a bit of that in the last few weeks in Australia. When you start to lose trust in each other, you might as well just step aside and hand over the trophy. I have no facts about Indian dressing. I'll wait for the facts to see who fought 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 tough times. He recalled the 2006 series against Australia 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 dressing room. We also had that against Australia in 2006 when we lost 2-0 in Australia and then we lost 3-0 in South Africa. We lost five out of six tests. It wasn't sunshine and roses in that dressing room, we were arguing with each other,” he said.
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