Top fights in Indian cricket
Indian cricket is never far from controversy. The rifts get louder the moment results don’t go the team’s way. There have been several episodes in Indian cricket that have played out ugly. Despite the best efforts of the board to play the tussles down, the power struggle has been a constant in Indian cricket. It has often led to division in the dressing room with players picking one camp over the other. Indian cricket has been the biggest loser whenever such fights have occurred.
We look at the:
#1 Sunil Gavaskar – Kapil Dev
It was the relationship between these two legends that mystified Indian cricket. They were never the best of friends during their playing days. Kapil Dev leading the side to a World Cup win shifted the power center in Indian cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar the Test captain in 1984 had ‘famously’ asked the selectors to drop Kapil Dev for playing a reckless shot. This decision increased the friction between the two. The legends later quipped that it was the selectors and the board that created unnecessary tension between the two.
#2 Virender Sehwag – MS Dhoni
The earliest signs of unrest came in the T20 World Cup final in 2007 when Virender Sehwag was declared unfit to play. Right since that moment, the relationship between MS Dhoni and Sehwag has never been rosy. The rift played out in the open in the T20 World Cup 2009. Dhoni asked the entire team to come out for a media interaction ahead of the World Cup. The duo seemed to have buried the hatchet in lead up to India’s World Cup preparation in 2011.
VB series fiasco:
It hit a point of no return during India’s tour of Australia in 2011-12. Dhoni had made it clear that only two of Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Gautam Gambhir will be played together in the ODI series. Sehwag didn’t take the decision kindly. He picked a sensational catch in one of the games asking the press later about his fitness! It was a difficult time in Indian cricket.
#3 Virat Kohli – Rohit Sharma
Their bonding in the early days was a sight to behold for Indian fans. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were both touted for greatness as soon as they made their debuts. Their careers coincided but Kohli had established himself firmly ahead of Sharma. The latter came into his own once he started opening in Champions Trophy in 2013. Kohli-Sharma stitched many wonderful partnerships together.
The price of the 2019 World Cup:
But the heartbreak of World Cup 2019 cost their friendship big time. There were big egos in the dressing room as few claimed. Sharma’s late arrival for the tour to Australia didn’t sit well with Kohli. The duo to their credit did put the rift behind them when India toured England in 2021. They both appear on the same page now more than ever!
