The BCCI paid a gigantic amount (in lakhs) for an unnamed star cricketer’s luggage worth 250 kg containing 27 bags on tour Down Under. Per reports, the Indian Board paid an undisclosed sum for that player’s luggage, which wasn’t even his entirely, including some belonging to his entourage (family members and assistants). Besides, what made headlines was that his luggage included 17 bats, indicating the player in question was a specialist batter.

Advertisment

Moreover, per a report in Dainik Jagran, the board even paid for the player's travel expenses during the long tour, where he travelled from one city to another at the board's expense.

Also read | Rohit Sharma might never play Tests again; BCCI convinced about new captain - Report

India had a horrid tour Down Under, losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years. While Jasprit Bumrah was India’s best bet on that tour, returning with 32 wickets across five Tests – the most among all bowlers this time, none of the star batters left an impact, even those with an abundance experience under their belts failing massively.

Advertisment

Among the ones who shone with the bat were rookie opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who slammed his maiden Test hundred Down Under in the second innings of the series opener in Perth, and young and dynamic all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who hit his first Test ton in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Besides them, only KL Rahul had played some handy knocks, while veteran batter Virat Kohli registered a century, though he failed miserably in the remaining eight innings.

Talking of the remaining star batters, including captain Rohit Sharma, gloveman Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, all failed to leave any mark. While Rohit and Gill played a few games, failing in all, Pant had a quiet tour Down Under this time, scoring just a quick-fire fifty in the final Test at the SCG, which India lost inside three days, conceding the series, the BGT and the chance to qualify for the WTC Final 2025.

Following their loss to Australia, which came on the back of suffering a home series whitewash (for the first time in history) against New Zealand earlier, the BCCI tightened the screws in the quest to put things back in place.

Advertisment

The repercussions

The Indian Cricket Board released a ten-pointer mandate for all centrally contracted players, making it compulsory for everyone to abide by it, or else serious repercussions would follow. Among those pointers, several made headlines for their reasons, but what didn’t was the restriction on luggage each player can carry on the away tours (long or short).

Though the board might not have had a cap on the number of bags and their weight before this, the BCCI has now put one, urging everyone to not carry luggage over 250 kg on overseas tours. Should a player wish to bring more luggage than that, that player must bear the overhead expenses from his pocket.

Meanwhile, India’s next overseas assignment is the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting February 19, for which the first batch of players and the coaching staff has already departed for Dubai – India’s venue for the eight-team tournament.

India will open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.

(With inputs from agencies)