India skipper Virat Kohli reportedly wants the BCCI to allow the players’ wives to accompany them throughout the overseas tours.
At a time when the BCCI is having a hard time adapting to the new rules and constitution, the Indian board might have to introduce another new rule. As per report in The Indian Express, India skipper Virat Kohli has requested the cricket board to allow wives of players to accompany the team for the full duration of overseas tours.
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According to the current policy, the wives of players and support staff are allowed to stay on overseas tours for just two weeks.
The report further claimed that Kohli first spoke to a top BCCI official regarding the issue before the latter conveyed it to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) headed by Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji. And the CoA has now asked Indian team manager Sunil Subramaniam to make a formal request to change the rule. However, a quick decision on the same is unlikely at the moment.
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Since this will require a shift in the BCCI’s stance, the CoA is expected to postpone the decision till the new elections are held.
“The request was made a few weeks back but as it is a BCCI policy decision, the manager will have to submit a formal request first. Anushka has been travelling with Kohli overseas, however, Kohli now wants the old rule to be abolished and a new policy should come up where wives should be allowed to travel with the Indian team,” a source said.
Well, this issue is not new in the game despite most cricket boards applying a restriction on the family’s stay in overseas tours. In 2007, after an Ashes disaster, the England and Wales Cricket Board asked an independent sports administrator to determine the reasons for the 5-0 whitewash against Australia. The report recommended a limit on the time wives and girlfriends should be allowed on tour. Miffed with the assessment, Kevin Pietersen had called it a “load of nonsense”.
Recently, Anushka Sharma, Kohli’s wife, had also faced the heat after accompanying the team members and support staff with officials of the Indian High Commission in London. Anushka featured in a picture, standing next to Kohli. However, her presence did not go down well with the fans who were clueless as to why she was being allowed to travel with the team in the first place.
Anushka was the only star wife who was still accompanying her partner on the tour.
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