The reports of rifts in the Indian dressing room have been floating for a long time and are subject to numerous media debates. Speaking about the same on a show, India’s out of favour opener Shikhar Dhawan has revealed some dressing room secrets where he opened up about the ego clashes in the Indian cricket team.
Notably, Dhawan, who has been part of the Indian team for almost a decade, was recently replaced by Shubman Gill in the ODI format and is currently not part of the national team. However, the left-handed batter got himself a new Grade C contract under the Board of Cricket Council in India’s (BCCI) 2022-23 central contract.
In an interview with Aaj Tak, Dhawan did not deny the claims of egos among Indian players and termed it to be a ‘normal’ thing. The 37-year-old Delhi cricketer also clarified that he isn’t talking about Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“It’s a very human and normal thing to have egos. We are together for (almost) 220 days. Sometimes there are misunderstandings between people. It’s the same with us as well. I am not speaking about Rohit (Sharma) or Virat (Kohli), but a general thing,” said Dhawan.
“We have a 40-member team, which includes support staff and managers. There could be some clashes and times when you are not happy with someone. It happens. And why not? When things improve, the love also increases,” he added.
Dhawan last represented India in an ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2022, where he managed to score just 18 runs in three matches. The Delhi-born will next be seen leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) that commences from March 31 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) facing defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT). When it comes to the Mohali-based franchise, they will start their IPL 2023 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 1.
