BCCI cracks whip on Team India, introduces several restrictions after disastrous Australia tour: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to crack the whip on the Indian cricket team after their disastrous run in recent Test assignments against New Zealand and Australia. Team India had suffered a historic 0-3 whitewash against the Black Caps at home before surrendering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 1-3 loss in the five-match series in Australia, resulting in them missing out on a third consecutive appearance in the ICC World Test Championship final.

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The board, unhappy with India’s dramatic decline in recent months after the high of winning the T20 World Cup last summer, has responded by reportedly cutting down the time players spend with their wives and girlfriends during a tour.

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The decisions are believed to have been taken during the Special General Meeting in Mumbai on Sunday in which the BCCI dissected India’s sub-par tour of Australia as well as the road ahead, which was attended by captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

Wives and girlfriends cannot stay for an entire tour

According to a report on Dainik Jagran, the BCCI is set to bring back an old rule that it had relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which wives, girlfriends and other family members will not be allowed to travel with players for more than two weeks in an overseas tour lasting 45 days or more. In case of shorter tours, they can stay with the player for a maximum duration of a week.

The board has also cracked down on star players traveling between cities, and even between hotel and stadium, privately. Stars such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who were accompanied by their wives Anushka Sharma and Sanjana Ganesan in Australia, have been known to fly separately during foreign tours. The entire team, however, will have to travel together going forward.

The board has also set a limit on the amount of luggage a player can carry on foreign tours, and that they will have to pay for extra weight.

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Restrictions on Gambhir’s personal manager

The board has also decided to bar head coach Gambhir’s personal manager from traveling with the team or from sitting in the VIP box in stadiums going forward. The presence of Gambhir’s manager Gaurav Arora with the Indian team during the tour of Australia had raised eyebrows, as it was something that had never been witnessed in the past.

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BCCI’s stern decisions come after reports of a negative dressing room atmosphere in the Australia tour, in which spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket in the middle of the tour. Rohit and Gambhir were also reported to have been cold towards one another towards the end of the tour, which was evident during the training session in Sydney ahead of the final Test.

Rohit, who had missed the opening Test in Perth for the birth of his son, had decided to sit out of the Sydney Test, which India lost by six wickets, though he insisted he wasn’t retiring from Test cricket anytime soon.