‘When chips are down, you need…,’ Raina joins Kohli in bashing BCCI’s family restriction rule
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘When chips are down, you need…,’ Raina joins Kohli in bashing BCCI’s family restriction rule")
Suresh Raina joins Virat Kohli in bashing BCCI’s family restriction rule Photograph: (AFP)
Although BCCI’s agenda was to keep the players focused on cricket, especially on away tours, limiting family time on longer and shorter tours, respectively, irked several high-profile players, including Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Former Indian cricketer and a World Cup winner, Suresh Raina, has backed and echoed Virat Kohli’s words, expressing displeasure over the BCCI’s rule change surrounding restricting players’ family time on away tours. Following India’s horrid tour Down Under, where they lost the series (1-3) and a chance to make it to their third successive WTC Final, the BCCI tightened several rules in a revised 10-point guideline; however, one of them made headlines for the wrong reasons. Although BCCI’s agenda was to keep the players focused on cricket, especially on away tours, limiting family time on longer and shorter tours, respectively, irked several high-profile players, including Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Per BCCI’s revised guideline, a player’s family cannot accompany them beyond 14 days on longer away tours that stretch 45 days and beyond, and for seven days on shorter away tours.
While Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir backed BCCI’s rule change, saying the players are on national duty and not on holidays, Raina opposed it openly while speaking on YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia's show, saying, "It is very important to have family on tours. BCCI has taken a big decision that family is not allowed – I'm against this. You are sending them on a tour for two months… family should be allowed. It's not that they (family) are against the players, they (also) would want us to score runs and the country to win."
Also read | ‘Families are important…but it’s not a holiday,’ Gambhir backs BCCI rule that once irked Kohli, Rohit
Raina stressed how players need someone to talk to and vent out to during their lean patches on away tours, and if BCCI restrict their families from staying with them, it could lead to mental health issues.
"You do have mental health issues. When you are going through a lean phase and there's an army gunning for your spot, then such issues crop up. You fear being dropped. When chips are down, you need someone to talk to. When you're happy, you seldom need anyone. But when you're down, you fear talking, thinking this may end up reaching the coach or the captain," Raina added.
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Fear of repercussion
Being part of the Indian dressing room for over a decade, Raina knows what it’s like not to talk about the issues one deals with.
"So out of hesitation, players don't speak out," he said. "Imagine Virat Kohli playing, his daughter clapping – it's such a proud moment. He will set the stage on fire," Raina concluded.
