There has been a long-standing drama in the Indian cricket scenario surrounding the new family related policies introduced by the BCCI. And the latest development is a statement from the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia himself. In the aftermath of India’s 3-1 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) had introduced stricter policies with regards to the presence of the families of the cricketers on overseas tours. The new policy restricted the time for which families could be with the players during such tours. While this policy was introduced to improve the team’s focus and performance, it suffered a lot of backlash from the public and players themselves.
A very strong opinion was voiced by Virat Kohli regarding this new policy and the batter expressed his disagreement with the new rules, saying that this will have a negative impact on the mental well-being of the players. It was understood that such a strong statement from such an influential player in the Indian cricket scene would probably lead to some change in this whole matter but that does not seem to be the case.
People are entitled to express their view: BCCI Secretary on Virat Kohli’s comments
Devajit Saikia, who was appointed as the new BCCI secretary in January 2025 after Jay Shah went on to become the chairperson of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has said that there will be no changes to these new policies despite Virat Kohli’s comments. He said, “ The BCCI recognizes that there may be some resentment or differing opinions as in a democratic setup, people are entitled to express their view. However the policy is applied uniformly to all team members and has been implemented with the best interest of everyone in mind.”
He further added by saying, “ At this stage, the current policy will remain intact, as it is of paramount importance to both the nation and our institution.” This news came as rather surprising for a lot of people, as they were expecting some changes to these new BCCI policies after statements from big names like Virat Kohli and Kapil Dev. However the BCCI seems pretty firm with the stance they have taken in implementing these new policies they have formulated and will look to ensure that they are reinforced within the team as well.
