Is BCCI's tour policy unfair? Saba Karim stresses need for players’ family time

Former BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) national selector Saba Karim commented on the limited time players get with their families during overseas tours. He highlighted that extended tours with restricted family time can disrupt players’ focus. He strongly believes that the Indian cricket board should find the right balance for the players.

According to the rule, players’ immediate families, including their partners and children, are allowed to stay with them for up to 14 days after the first two weeks of a tour that lasts more than 45 days. For shorter tours, families can accompany the players for up to a week.

The right-handed batter acknowledged that families need to be with players during tours and also insisted that there should be a proper balance. Recent reports suggest that players are not comfortable with this rule.

“Every player has a different mindset. The BCCI has made some rules that have been followed for many years. In between, they were not followed properly. I think players and BCCI need to find a balance. It is necessary for players to be with family. I hope the BCCI and players will find the right balance,” Karim said, as quoted by NDTV.

Kohli calls for more understanding approach

India's batting stalwart Virat Kohli, recently opened up about the rule, that everyone from the Indian team would want their family around and spend time with them during the tours.

“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’,” Kohli said at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit.

“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. Like, there could be different situations happening in your life all the time. And that allows you to be absolutely normal. Not in a vague sense, but in a very real way that you finish your commitment, your responsibility, and then you come back to your house, you are with family,” the run-machine concluded.