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As the Indian team finds itself in a torrid patch on the back of the Boxing Day Test defeat, fissures in the dressing room and captain Rohit Sharma’s snub before the Sydney Test on Friday, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has urged players to shed personal agendas to smoothen the transition while also slamming the dressing room’s ‘Mr Fix-It’.
The Indian Express’ Sriram Veera, Devendra Pandey and Venkata Krishna B reported on Wednesday that after the Melbourne loss, the India dressing room descended into chaos with head coach Gautam Gambhir delivering a brutal assessment of the players. It was also learnt that a senior player has projected himself as an interim captaincy option for the side. Portraying himself as India’s ‘Mr. Fix It’, it is learnt that the senior player is not convinced that the young members of the side are ready to take over leadership roles.
In a video shared on Instagram, Uthappa made a scathing assessment of the player in question, demanding that he “has to be named and shamed.”
EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE: Gautam Gambhir cracks whip on Team India’s chaotic dressing room: ‘Bahut ho gaya’, The Indian Express reports
“Whoever Mr. Fix-It is, I think is an absolute disappointment of a human being at this point in time. I think whoever that is, he should be really ashamed of himself. At a time when you need to keep the team together to progress a personal agenda, is completely, in my opinion, pathetic. You don’t put yourself ahead of your team, irrespective of how bad things are,” said Uthappa.
“At that point in time, you actually double down on your team. You double down and say, ‘I’ll do whatever is required at that point in time.’ Whoever this person is, whether it’s a senior, not a senior, it does not matter, has to be named and shamed. This has to stop. This level of childishness and personal agenda being driven forward at a time when the team needs more unity, has to stop,” Uthappa added.
With India trailing Australia 1-2 and Rohit not named in the 16-member squad on Friday, Jasprit Bumrah took over leadership duties for the second time in the series. India were bowled out for 185 on the opening day before Australia lost opener Usman Khawaja to Bumrah before stumps.
The Indian Express understands that Rohit Sharma isn’t part of the selectors plan beyond the Australia tour when it comes to red-ball cricket and it has already been communicated to him prior to the Sydney Test. Post the Australia tour, it is also understood that the selectors will also sit with Virat Kohli to discuss the way forward as the team is all set to enter its biggest-ever transition. Ravindra Jadeja, the other senior player in the squad, will continue to remain in the scheme of things with the all-rounder’s presence being valued in the transition.
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