Gautam Gambhir’s decision to ’discipline’ Indian players forced BCCI to prompt strict action on wives, families: Report
According to BCCI's new rule, the wives and families of Indian cricketers will be allowed on long (more than 45 days) overseas tours for only two weeks and seven days in case it's a short tour.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to put a time limit on families and wives' stay during international tours, came after head coach Gautam Gambhir complained of indiscipline in the Indian dressing room, according to a report. BCCI's step came after India's woeful run in Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
Following Indian cricketers' return to the country from Australia, Gambhir, along with India captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar met the BCCI officials for a review meeting in Mumbai on January 11. According to a India Today report, Gambhir complained about indiscipline in the Indian dressing room in the meeting.
“Gautam Gambhir, during the review meeting, spoke about indiscipline in the Indian dressing room following the loss in the Border-Gavaskar series. Indiscipline is the reason why the BCCI is reverting to pre-COVID rules, allowing two weeks of family presence on tour,” a source was quoted as saying to the above-mentioned website.
“Gautam and the players were on the same page regarding the topic of family stays,” added the source on conditions of anonymity. The report also added that the BCCI has been advised to tighten the noose on junior cricketers.
During their entire 54-day stay in Australia, there was only one team dinner. Several junior cricketers and senior cricketers were seen going out for dinners in groups. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal were spotted spending some quality time with their loved ones on New Year in Melbourne.
What is BCCI's new rule on wives and families?
According to the new BCCI rule, wives and families of Indian cricketers can stay on the tour for a maximum of 14 days if the series exceeds 45 days. In case of shorter tours, the wives and families are allowed for only seven days. In Australia, Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma and their two kids accompanied the former India captain for the entire tour.
Families of junior players like Shubman Gill and Nitish Kumar Reddy were also spotted in Australia but during the Melbourne Test.
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