"It's a small family where you trust each other" - Aakash Chopra asks how Gautam Gambhir's dressing room talk ahead of BGT 2024-25 5th Test was leaked

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned how head coach Gautam Gambhir's reported dressing room talk was leaked ahead of the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test. He pointed out that Team India are like a family where everyone should trust each other.

India suffered a 184-run defeat in the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne and trail 1-2 in the five-match series. The final game of the tour will start in Sydney on Friday, January 3.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Gambhir's dressing room talk being leaked is a breach of trust.

"People are saying that Gautam said the shots being played won't work out and that it's enough. My first big question is how the talk that apparently happened in the dressing room came out," he said (2:00).

"You can openly say anything in the dressing room and have complete faith that the talk won't go out. It's a small family where you trust each other. The day the dressing room talk starts coming out, the trust deficit is of a different level," Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra opined that the informant should be found out and shamed. He added that the culprit needed to be made to understand that such actions wouldn't be tolerated, as it's not good for Indian cricket.

---

"Then you see groups in the team" - Aakash Chopra on the repercussions of dressing room talk being leaked

The Indian dressing room was divided when Greg Chappell (left) was the head coach. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that such leaks could lead to a divided and insecure dressing room.

"Then you see groups in the team. Suddenly you will find discussions happening in groups because no one can talk openly. No one will talk on one platform as it gets leaked. Secondly, the dressing room becomes extremely insecure. If the dressing room talk starts coming out, it means it has become the home of insecure players," he said (2:40).

The former India opener opined that senior players are generally responsible for such leaks.

"Thirdly, generally, the one who leaks is one of the seniors. The juniors are incapable of doing that. The juniors are anyway scared and don't say anything to anyone because they are too consumed in their own thoughts. My big red flag is that it's a concern if the dressing room talk is coming out, in case it's true," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra noted that Gautam Gambhir didn't name any player he was unhappy with. He added that maybe fingers were being pointed at the shots played by Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli.