Virat Kohli's public criticism of the BCCI's family policy for overseas tours has sparked a potential shift, with the Board now reportedly reconsidering its stringent rules.
Kohli, speaking at a recent promotional event ahead of IPL 2025, underlined the emotional toll of being away from family and how their presence could play a vital role in helping players maintain a sense of normalcy during high-pressure international assignments.
'If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? You'll be like, yes,' Kohli said.
'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.'
Following India's disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia, the BCCI implemented a stricter 10-point code of conduct for centrally contracted players. One of the major changes included a cap on family presence during overseas tours.
According to the current rule, players who are abroad for more than 45 days can be joined by their partners and children (under 18) for one visit per series -- for a maximum of two weeks. While the BCCI covers their accommodation with the player, all other expenses must be borne by the cricketer.
Any request for deviation from this policy requires pre-approval from Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, the team captain, and the BCCI's general manager of operations.
However, according to a report by India Today, the board is now showing signs of flexibility.
'Players can apply for permission if they want their families to stay longer on tours. The BCCI will make a decision as it sees fit,' a source told the publication, hinting that the policy might be relaxed on a case-by-case basis.
The issue came into the spotlight during the recently concluded Champions Trophy, where Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma was seen in the stands during India's final three matches. Kohli, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, had their families in Dubai -- but chose not to stay in the team hotel, covering their own accommodation costs.
Kohli didn't hold back in expressing his frustration about the perception that family presence could be a distraction. 'It is very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something intense, which happens on the outside,' he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
'I do not think people have an understanding of what value it brings to a large extent. And I feel quite disappointed about that because it is like people who have no control over what is going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out at the forefront that, 'Oh, maybe they need to be kept away'.
The family diktat has clearly divided opinion within the Indian cricketing setup. Even Skipper Rohit Sharma, while announcing India's squad for the Champions Trophy, accidentally hinted at internal disagreements when he said, 'I will have to sit down with the secretary to discuss a few things. About the family and other stuff.'
Adding his voice to the debate, legend Kapil Dev called for a balanced approach. Speaking at the 'Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational' event, he said, "Well, I don't know, that's individual. I think it's the cricket board's call.'
He acknowledged the importance of both team bonding and family support, 'My view is, yes, you need family. But you also need a team, all the time.'
Reflecting on his own playing days, Kapil added, 'In our time, we used to say to ourselves -- not by the cricket board -- that the first half of the tour should be cricket, and in the second half, the family should come and enjoy it too. It should be a blend.'
As the BCCI evaluates the possibility of tweaking its family policy in response to growing concerns from senior players like Kohli, the broader question remains: How to strike the right balance between maintaining team discipline and ensuring emotional well-being?
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