The Indian squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was announced on Saturday. After a delay of more than two hours, both Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar announced the squad at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai, which didn’t spring any major surprises except for the exclusion of Mohammed Siraj. However, before the start of the press conference, the Indian captain, mistakenly or intentionally, hinted at what was brewing behind the scenes in the Indian cricket team. On Thursday, the BCCI had circulated a 10-point policy document to all centrally contracted players, restricting squad members, including the coaching staff, from bringing their families for the entire duration of the tour. It also made it mandatory for players to participate in domestic matches.
As Agarkar and Rohit took their seats to address the media, the Indian captain was heard saying, “Ab mere ko baithna padega Secretary ke saath family wamily ka discuss karne ke liye, sab mere ko bol rahe hai yaar” (I will have to sit with the secretary to discuss the family policy. Everyone is telling me). Later, during the press conference, when Rohit was directly asked about the 10-point guidelines for the players, he retracted, saying, “Who told you about these rules? Has it come from the official handle of the BCCI? Let it come officially.”
Is this a sign that players are unhappy with the stringent guidelines the BCCI has implemented to foster team chemistry and bonding? During the team review meeting in Mumbai, attended by Rohit, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Agarkar, new BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, and other top BCCI officials, the issue of lack of team bonding exercises and the availability of players beyond match or practice hours was discussed. Some pointed out that many players prefer spending time with their families rather than with teammates off the field. Noting these points, the BCCI’s policy document stated that for tours lasting over 45 days, players can be joined by their partners and children for up to a two-week period per series, subject to agreement by the coach, captain, and GM Operations.
Has this policy irked the players? Notably, the BCCI had a similar policy for players on overseas tours before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think we’ll probably talk about it endlessly if we keep going on. I suppose every team has some rules in place. We’ve spoken about various things you see over the last few months where you can improve as a team, where you can get a bit closer as a team. It’s not a school. It’s not a punishment. It’s just that you have some rules in place, and when you’re playing for the national team, you just follow those rules. Again, these are mature individuals,” Agarkar said.
“They are superstars in their own right in international sport. But at the end of the day, you’re eventually representing your country. There are certain things that you just inherently follow as every team does. I think a lot of them have been in place. Maybe we’ve spoken about it now and it’s been put out, but a lot of them have been in place in any case. You keep on refining it as you go along, eventually what suits the team, you want to try and do.”
Furthermore, there were numerous reports about disagreements and lack of cohesion in the Indian dressing room, especially during the five-Test series in Australia, with some stating that captain Rohit and head coach Gambhir were not on the same page regarding multiple decisions. Many reports also surfaced claiming that Rohit had decided to retire from Test cricket after the Boxing Day Test but was advised against it. It was also claimed that this decision infuriated Gambhir.
When asked about disagreements with Gambhir, Rohit said, “Both of us are very clear in what we want to do. I’m not going to sit here and discuss what goes behind every game tactically, but it’s very clear in my mind, and Gautam Gambhir is somebody who, once we enter the field, trusts what the captain is doing on the field. The basic talks that happen are only off the field, in the ground or maybe the changing room. But once we take the field, it’s all about what I do on the field. That’s the kind of trust we have in each other, and that’s how it should be. That’s about it.”
Notably, Rohit will be playing in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir on January 23. “It’s nothing new for me. I’m used to these kinds of changes because this isn’t happening for me now. It’s been for such a long period of time because when you play all three formats, you have to adjust to all kinds of formats. Sometimes you prepare for a red-ball competition, and then suddenly there’s a T20 format. There’s nothing new about it,” Rohit said.
“If you look at our calendar for the last 6-7 years, we haven’t had time where we sit at home for 45 days. We have IPL also. Domestic happens in February-March, and at that time, we have been playing a lot of cricket. When you play so much international cricket, you need some time off to refresh, physically and mentally. Nobody takes it for granted.”
Meanwhile, Agarkar added, “It is not a diktat. When they are available, they should play. It is difficult for some players who play all three formats, and we understand that. Those who are available and fit should play. It is not a diktat; it’s just what BCCI stands for – playing domestic cricket. It will strengthen our domestic structure.”
Meanwhile, the selectors opted for Arshdeep Singh while dropping Mohammed Siraj from the Champions Trophy squad. While Siraj has been inconsistent, Arshdeep has been making waves in the domestic circuit, ending up as the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 20 scalps in seven matches at an average of 18.25.
Explaining Siraj’s omission, Rohit said, “Siraj is not there. While we are not sure about Bumrah, we wanted an option of someone who can bowl with both the new and old ball. We wanted Arshdeep to play that role. Shami, we know what he can do. That is where we thought Siraj’s effectiveness comes down a bit if he is not given the new ball. We picked guys who can perform certain roles. We have bowlers who can bowl with the new ball, bowl in middle overs, and be effective at the death. Arshdeep hasn’t played a lot of ODIs, but he has been there enough to handle that pressure. Shami is a stalwart, and what he did in the World Cup was superb. Harshit brings something different. He has shown potential. It is hard to ignore numbers, but look at Jaiswal; we have picked him on the basis of his form and potential,” Rohit explained.
India Squad for Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja
India Squad for England ODIs: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana