BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia completely rubbished reports stating that the cricket governing body are reconsidering the ‘family diktat’ implemented following India’s Test series loss against Australia. The BCCI guidelines stated that the players’ families will not be able to stay with the team during overseas tours after a stipulated period. However, following criticism from Virat Kohli, some reports claimed that BCCI will be looking to make amendments to the guidelines. However, Saikia made it clear that the current policy will remain intact and no changes will be made to them at present.
“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 recognizes that there may be some resentment or differing opinions, as in a democratic setup, people are entitled to express their views,” Saikia said. “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.”
“This policy has not been formulated overnight; it has been in place for decades, dating back to the playing days of our president, Roger Binny – and possibly even earlier,” he said.
According to the guidelines, families of the players can travel with the Indian cricket team “up to two weeks if the tour lasts more than 45 days” during overseas trips.
“The new policy is an amendment of the previous one, with additional provisions regarding players’ presence at practice sessions, match schedules, tours, luggage, team movements, and other ancillary activities, all aimed at the objective of team cohesion and unity.”
“The BCCI has increased the duration of family members’ stay with players during overseas tours, with provisions for relaxing the norms under special circumstances, but this will be done through a proper process,” he said.
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