The newly formulated SOPs for the Indian team will remain unchanged, including the policy towards family on overseas tours, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed.
"At this stage, the current policy will remain intact, as it is of paramount importance to both the nation and our institution, the BCCI," Board Secretary Devajit Saikia told Cricbuzz on Wednesday.
Following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, the BCCI introduced ten-pointer SOPs, which included limiting the presence of family members during overseas tours. Under the new policy, spouses and children (aged under 18) can accompany the members of the Indian contingent for up to two weeks if the tour lasts more than 45 days. This policy was trialled during the recent Champions Trophy, sparking some players to express their displeasure.
"If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? You'll be like, yes. 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," Virat Kohli was quoted as saying after a recent event in Bengaluru.
"The BCCI recognizes that there may be some resentment or differing opinions, as in a democratic setup, people are entitled to express their views," Saikia said. "The policy is applied uniformly to all team members – players, coaches, managers, support staff, and everyone involved – and has been implemented with the best interests of everyone in mind."
The BCCI secretary emphasized that the policy is not a recent one nor has it been introduced suddenly. "This policy has not been formulated overnight; it has been in place for decades, dating back to the playing days of our president, Roger Binny – and possibly even earlier," he said.
"The new policy is an amendment of the previous one, with additional provisions regarding players' presence at practice sessions, match schedules, tours, luggage, team movements, and other ancillary activities, all aimed at the objective of team cohesion and unity."
The BCCI secretary, however, left the door open for possible concessions, with the caveat that any changes would only be considered through a formal process.
"The BCCI has increased the duration of family members' stay with players during overseas tours, with provisions for relaxing the norms under special circumstances, but this will be done through a proper process," he said.