Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary general Devajit Saikia has refuted reports that BCCI was willing to relax rules related to family members’ presence on overseas tours.
Saikia’s comments come after legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli expressed his dissatisfaction with the stricter SOPs, which significantly cut down on family time during overseas tours. Kohli spoke at an event recently.
After that rumours started circulating that BCCI may ease the own diktat introduced after the poor performance during the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit Sharma led side won the champions trophy earlier this month which also set rumours that the cricket governing body in India will ease the diktat on the players. However, Saikia has refuted any such possibilities and underlined that the SOPs are of “paramount importance” and will remain intact at this stage.
“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 on Wednesday.
The reports of any possible change in BCCI SOPs was initially inspired by former India captain Virat Kohli’s scathing remarks that no players wants to “sit alone and sulk” in their hotel rooms on overseas tour.
“It’s very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something which is intense, which happens on the outside,” Kohli said at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit.
“I don’t think people have an understanding of what value it brings to a large extent. And I feel quite disappointed about that because it’s like people who have no control over what’s going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out at the forefront that, ‘oh, maybe they need to be kept away’.
“If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? You’ll be like, yes. I don’t want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk. 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,” he added.
The policy changes made earlier this year by BCCI after India’s disastrous tour of Australia states that family members and players cannot be together for more than two weeks on overseas tours.
DRS extended to height and off-side wides
Meanwhile the BCCI has lifted the ban on use of saliva on the ball in the upcoming Indian Premier League. It also approved the use of DRS for height wides and wides outside the off-stump. It was also decided that one ball will be changed in the second innings of an evening game after the 11th over due to dew.
