BCCI's strict family travel policy to 'remain intact' despite Virat Kohli's open criticism
Despite Virat Kohli's criticism of the BCCI's family travel policy for Team India players, the board has decided to maintain the existing rules.
FollowThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stood firm on strict policy for Team India players’ families travelling with them on overseas tours despite open criticism by star batter Virat Kohli earlier this week.
After Team India’s disastrous Test tour of Australia, the BCCI decided to tighten the screws on players by releasing a 10-point guidelines, where it was mentioned that players’ families are allowed to stay with them for a maximum of two weeks if the overseas series or tournaments stretches for 45 days or more. For the Champions Trophy 2025, Team India players did not tag their families to Dubai, given that the marquee event was 19 days. The Men in Blue arrived in Dubai five days before their opening match against Bangladesh and their stay extended to 22 days as they reached the final, where they defeated New Zealand to win the second Champions Trophy title.
Despite a strict family rule policy in place, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma brought their families to Dubai for the semifinal and final after reportedly granting permission from the BCCI. Even Ravindra Jadeja’s wife and Shubman Gill’s family were present during the final. Before the Indian Team’s departure to Dubai, a senior player reached out to the BCCI with a request to carry his family, only to be rejected by the board.
Additionally, during the press conference for the squad announcement for the ODI series against England and Champions Trophy in January, Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was caught on the mic saying to chief selector Ajit Agarkar that he wanted to have a meeting with secretary to talk about the new policy laid by the BCCI, showing that there was growing discontent among the seniors regarding the strict family travel restrictions.
Virat Kohli’s comments on BCCI family policy
Virat Kohli caught the attention of the fans and experts alike when he did not hesitate to criticize the BCCI strict family policy. Speaking at the RCB innovative Lab in Bengaluru, Kohli spoke about how players prefer to have their families with them to have emotional support. The veteran Indian batter highlighted separating professional responsibilities from personal to maintain overall well being.
“If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? They'll be like, yes. I don't want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk.” the 36-year-old said at the event.
“I want to be able to be normal. And then you can really treat your game as something that is a responsibility. You finish that responsibility, and you come back to life.
“Like, there could be different situations happening in your life all the time. And that allows you to be absolutely normal. Not in a vague sense, but in a very real way that you finish your commitment, your responsibility, and then you come back to your house, you are with family, and there's absolutely normalcy in your house and normal family life goes on,” he added.
No change in BCCI family policy
After Virat Kohli’s remarks, the reports emerged that the BCCI was looking to reconsider their policy on family travel with Team India players. However, the speculations were dismissed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, stating that the rule will ‘remain intact’, adding that the players have the right to express their opinion.
“At this stage, the current policy will remain intact, as it is of paramount importance to both the nation and our institution, the BCCI.” Saikia told Cricbuzz
“The BCCI recognises that there may be some resentment or differing opinions, as in a democratic setup, people are entitled to express their views.
“The policy is applied uniformly to all team members - players, coaches, managers, support staff, and everyone involved - and has been implemented with the best interests of everyone in mind," he added.
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