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Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has opened up about the recent rules and regulations imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the travel of Indian players with the team.
Chopra feels that the rules could have been broken which forced the BCCI to impose stricter restrictions. Under the rules, players are required to travel with the team rather than going separately to and from the ground.
The rules have been imposed after India’s recent Test series loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After the defeat, the BCCI conducted a review meeting with some of the top officials present along with captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
Aakash Chopra breaks silence on BCCI travel rules
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra argued the need for such guidelines and predicted misuse in the past. Chopra was surprised because he believes that these rules were in place earlier as well.
“Players cannot travel separately with their families. All players are expected to travel with the team to and from matches and training sessions. I am very surprised by this rule. Going to training or the match is just with the team,” Chopra said.
“This has always happened. If someone wants to train more, they ask the coach. But has someone left early? They must have been abused; that’s why this rule is being followed,” he added.
Aakash Chopra on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s recent rule-breaking
Aakash Chopra recounted a recent incident where opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was punished for being late to the team bus. However, he criticized the players for not traveling with the team and going individually.
“I’m pretty sure everyone wouldn’t have been ignoring the rule. Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn’t come recently, and was punished for being late. That’s a different story,” observed Aakash Chopra.
“If someone claims that they don’t have to travel with the team because they are staying somewhere else or it’s their city, then whoever allowed it should be called out,” the former India opener added .
What are the new rules?
Under the new rule, players are required to travel with the team on the team bus. No player may travel separately even if they are playing in their hometown. If a player intends to travel separately, he will have to obtain necessary permission from head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
There are also rules regarding the availability of players’ families on long trips. If the tour is 45 days or more, families can stay with the respective player for a maximum of 14 days. The family cannot be there with the family for the first two weeks.
The rules come after India’s recent Test series losses to New Zealand and Australia. The Men in Blue suffered a shock 0-3 home Test series defeat and then lost 1-3 to Australia in an away series to bow out of the race for the World Championship finals of tests
