"This Is Not Normal...": Amid Reports Of Rift In Dressing Room, India World Cup-Winner's Scathing Reply

Former India fast bowler Madan Lal voiced his disappointment over reports of leaked discussions from the Indian dressing room, which hinted at a rift within the team. He questioned how such internal matters were disclosed and stated that if these rumours were true, it would reflect poorly on the team.

There were reports of disquiet in the Indian team dressing room after their 184-run defeat to Australia in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne, claiming that head coach Gautam Gambhir is believed to have said, “Bahut ho gaya (I've had enough) in his dressing room speech, with the dressing room environment being ‘far from ideal'.

Speaking to IANS, the 1983 World Cup veteran said, "Rift... look, when you lose, rumours do tend to spread outside. What's the truth in it? We don't know anything about it - what is it, what is this rift? If I find out that there's a rift going on, then we can understand about it. What is the rift for? On which point or question is there a rift?"

"This is not normal; they (media) just talk like this. Otherwise, if you see, how are these dressing room discussions leaked? Rift? What is a rift? We should know what the rift is, right? I mean, knowing through social media or the press doesn't make it certain. Either someone openly says, ‘This is it, this is the rift'. Are you sure there's a rift? I'm not sure. You're not sure. Even those talking nonsense on TV- are they sure? What sources do they have? What proof do they have?" he questioned.

Amid speculation of unrest in the dressing room following a huge loss in the Boxing Day Test, Gambhir clarified in a presser that it were "just reports, not truth".

The 73-year-old veteran stated that if such rumours are true, it is not a positive sign for the team. He