BCCI May Restrict Players' Family Time on Tours

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has discussed various steps, including limiting the time India players get to spend with their families on foreign tours, during a recent review meeting with the team management following the 1-3 Test series loss in Australia, board officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

- Rasesh Mandani

If the BCCI decides to implement this, the players' partners and families will not be able to stay with them for more than two weeks on a tour that lasts over six weeks. Behind the move is the school of thought that the constant presence of families on tour limits the scope of team bonding beyond practice hours.

"The married players preferred to be left alone after training, which resulted in no team dinners, often a melting pot for team culture. The younger players were on their own," a team official said after the Australia series.

Following the 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, India lost the five-Test series in Australia after going 1-0 up, resulting in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy changing hands for the first time in a decade. During the tour, questions were raised on the performance of senior players Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma, who had to sit out of the fifth Test in Sydney due to lack of form. The batting failed repeatedly and some of the selection calls were also questioned.