File image of Virat Kohli (right) and his wife Anushka Sharma.© AFP
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are reportedly set to take some major steps as it aims to address the slump in form for Team India, and one of those will reportedly be curbing the number of days players on tour can spend with their family members. In fact, on 45-day-long tours, the maximum number of days a player can stay with his family will reportedly be cut down to just 14. However, a former India opener has defended such a move if it is taken by the BCCI.
Stating that such rules have been there for former cricketers as well, former India cricketer-turned-pundit Aakash Chopra spoke about the positives of such a decision.
“There are two aspects to it,” Chopra said, speaking on his YouTube channel.
“If it’s a tour of more than 45 days, at the start you get the team together, and the families can come for two weeks in the middle when you feel homesick, and then you get back to business. It’s not that bad. There was a reason why it used to happen like that earlier. It’s not that people weren’t married earlier,” Chopra said.
Chopra stated that spending less time with family and more time with teammates could open up the scope for greater team bonding, using an example from the time when he would share the dressing room with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
“Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, when all these married people used to travel with us, the wives were allowed for some time, that was also something nice as your lifestyle was like that. I remember us celebrating New Year in Sydney and the entire team was on the boat. I think Rahul Dravid’s wife was there. We were playing games and you developed a bond. It’s wrong if that bond is ending” Chopra said.
BCCI’s reportedly strict decisions would come after back-to-back Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia.
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