A lot has changed since the India Cricket Team returned from a poor Australia tour. In the aftermath, hardly anyone was spared, not even Virat Kohli. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a diktat, putting strict guidelines on families accompanying players on tours. BCCI cut down the number of days to two weeks for tours longer than 45 days. That diktat hasn’t gone down well with Virat Kohli. He is disappointed and believes people who are making such calls must be kept away.
“I feel quite disappointed about that. People who have no control over what is going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out in the forefront. Maybe they need to be kept away,” Virat Kohli said at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit.
BCCI’s new rules for players
The disappointing Australia tour ended India’s supremacy in land down under. India lost the series 1-3 with captain Rohit Sharma dropping himself from the final match in Sydney after a string of poor performances.
However, the Indian board felt the “indiscipline” and the superiority complex of the players cost them the series. While BCCI never made an official announcement on the new policies, reports suggest that some of them already came into the effect during India vs England series and the Champions trophy. But what are the rules?
- Players are allowed to have family members with them for a maximum of two weeks on a tour of 45 days or more.
- For shorter tours, family members can accompany the players for a maximum period of a week.
- Players will need to pay for additional expenses if family members stay during the tour for more time than prescribed.
- Players must travel together in the team bus.
- Personal staff including managers, agents and chefs must stay in a separate hotel.
- During the off period, all players including seniors, must play domestic cricket.
Why is Virat Kohli disappointed?
Virat Kohli values family time greatly. When he was the captain, he advocated for allowing family members on the tours. Anushka Sharma, his wife, was often with him on long and short tours. While it coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, BCCI has now deviated from that policy. Kohli believes people making such decisions do not understand how helpful it is for players to rejuvenate after a defeat.
“It is very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to come back to your family every time you have something intense happening on the outside. I don’t think people have an understanding of what value it brings,” Kohli added.
