After India's 184 run defeat in the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir issued a stern warning to the team in the dressing room on Monday.
India suffered a shocking collapse in the post-tea session, losing seven wickets in 20.4 overs, primarily due to irresponsible shots by some batters.
'Bahut ho gaya (I have had enough),' Gambhir is reported to have said during his assessment of the team, according to a front page report in The Indian Express newspaper on Wednesday.
The head coach expressed dissatisfaction with players 'doing their own thing in the name of their 'natural game', instead of playing according to the situation.'
He reportedly warned the players that failure to follow his game plans would result in them being dropped from the team.
Gambhir, who took over as coach on July 9, is learnt to have talked about how he had let the team do what
In a veiled warning to players to toe the line, he is learnt to have said that going ahead, those who don't abide by his pre-decided team strategy would be given a 'thank you', added the The Indian Express report.
The MCG collapse was a result of some reckless dismissals.
Rishabh Pant fell to poor shot selection in both innings, while a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal perished attempting a pull shot off Pat Cummins when the situation demanded cautious batting.
Virat Kohli continued to struggle with deliveries outside the off stump, and Rohit Sharma failed twice, succumbing to loose shots against the pacers.
Sources cited by The Indian Express revealed that the atmosphere in the dressing room has been tense for a while now, even before the start of the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.
The report also claimed that Gambhir had advocated for the inclusion of veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, a Test specialist with over 100 matches to his name. However, the selectors reportedly rejected his suggestion.
Even after India's victory in the Perth Test, Gambhir was said to have continued pushing for Pujara's inclusion.
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