When cricket stops being a game and becomes a power game

Indian cricket has survived bad pitches, bad selections, match-fixing storms and ego clashes before. But what’s happening now feels different. This isn’t about form or fitness. This is about power, politics, control – and silence.

And silence, as we all know, screams the loudest.

The Gambhir era: From firebrand captain to cold coach

Gautam Gambhir the cricketer was fire. Aggressive. Fearless. Results-driven.
Gautam Gambhir the coach? That fire feels… political.

Since taking charge, India hasn’t exactly looked like a settled, confident unit. In fact, under his coaching, the team has witnessed a string of inconsistent performances, confused selections, shifting roles, and a visible emotional disconnect in the dressing room.

A coach is supposed to unite. Instead, what we are seeing is distance.

And distance inside a team is never accidental.

Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma: Why Test cricket suddenly felt disposable

Let’s be blunt.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t leave Test cricket because they forgot how to bat in whites.
They didn’t retire because they were tired of five-day cricket.

They stepped away because the environment stopped respecting who they are.

Test cricket demands trust:

• Trust from selectors
• Trust from the board
• Trust from the coach

When legends start feeling like liabilities, the format isn’t the problem. The system is.

Suddenly:

• Captaincy clarity vanished
• Communication faded
• Seniors were made to feel “temporary”
• Long-term vision was replaced with “experiments”

Great players don’t fight systems.
They quietly walk away from them.

That’s what hurts the most.

Ajit Agarkar: Selector or silent executioner?

Ajit Agarkar’s role as chairman of selectors is rarely questioned publicly, but it should be.

Is he selecting players based on:

• Current form?
• Long-term Test vision?
• Or signals coming from upstairs?

Because the selections lately feel mechanical, soulless, and politically safe.

Selectors should challenge the board.
Not nod along.

When selectors stop protecting cricketing logic, cricket becomes management drama.

The shadow of the BCCI: Power speaks, players adjust

Here’s the uncomfortable part.

The BCCI today is not just a cricket board.
It’s an institution of political power.

Jai Shah may not walk into the dressing room, but his influence is everywhere:

• Who stays
• Who goes
• Who is backed
• And who is slowly pushed towards the exit without controversy

This isn’t about party politics alone.
This is about centralised control.

When administrators become stronger than legends, cricket loses its soul and becomes a spreadsheet.

And yes, when the coach and the power system appear ideologically aligned, players don’t argue.
They adapt.
Or they disappear.

SA ODI win: Runs on the board, ice in the room

India wins against South Africa.
Kohli scores a century.
Rohit hits a half-century.

On paper, everything is perfect.

But then came that dressing-room moment.

Celebrations all around.
Gambhir standing there.
Virat walking in… and not even acknowledging him.

No drama.
No confrontation.
Just clean, surgical avoidance.

That one frame told a bigger story than any press conference ever could.

This is what ignoring toxic authority looks like.
No shouting.
No statement.
Just emotional detachment.

Because when respect is gone, interaction becomes pointless.

Gambhir’s biggest mistake: Managing players like problems

Great coaches manage people first, players later.

What seems to have gone wrong:

• Too much authority, too little empathy
• Public silence, private rigidity
• No visible emotional bond with senior players

You can’t coach legends the way you coach rookies.
And you definitely can’t sideline legacy without consequences.

The result?

• A fractured dressing room
• Seniors stepping away quietly
• Fans confused but sensing something is off

Indian cricket doesn’t lack talent.
It lacks harmony at the top.

The uncomfortable truth Indian cricket fans must face

This isn’t Kohli vs Gambhir.
This isn’t Rohit vs selectors.

This is cricket vs control.

When governance becomes more important than greatness,
when obedience is valued over experience,
when silence is rewarded more than honesty,

You don’t lose matches immediately.
You lose culture.

And once culture is gone, trophies follow it out the door.

Final thought: Legends don’t retire. They are cornered.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t abandon Test cricket.
They were slowly pushed into a space where staying no longer felt dignified.

And when even victories feel emotionally hollow,
you know the problem isn’t batting averages.

It’s power.

Indian cricket needs answers.
Not PR.
Not scripted interviews.
Not fake unity.

Because the greatest danger to Indian cricket isn’t failure…

It’s success without soul.

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