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'It's not a punishment, but...' - Agarkar explains reason for strict rule implementation
Follow UsAgarkar said that a lot of these rules have been in place for a while now, but have only come to the public eye recently
In an unprecedented move, the BCCI, earlier this week, sent a ten-point guideline document to the Indian players, making it mandatory for all contracted individuals to adhere to the newly-implemented rules.
The new rules, the BCCI said in the document, were introduced to ‘promote discipline, unity and a positive team environment while ensuring professional standards and operational efficiency during tours and series’.
The entire document has since been leaked on X (formerly Twitter) and there’s been plenty of debates surrounding the BCCI’s move, with many opining that the changes are only bound to further add to the stress of the players.
Two points which have been highly debated are the moves to restrict family presence during long away tours and the decision to not allow players to carry personal staff such as a personal chef, unless and until approved by the board.
The changes have been labeled a ‘kneejerk reaction’ given they’ve come on the back of the team’s 3-1 loss to Australia, but chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the reasoning behind the move.
“No, I suppose every team has some rules in place,” Agarkar said on January 18 (Saturday).
“We’ve spoken about various things we’ve seen over the last few months where we can improve as a team and where we can get a bit closer as a team.
“It’s not a school. It’s not a punishment. It’s just you have some rules in place and when you’re playing for the national team, just follow the rules.
“These are mature individuals who are superstars in their own right. But at the end of the day, you’re eventually representing your country. And there are certain things that you just inherently follow as every team does.”
Agarkar further said that a lot of these rules have been in place for a while now, but have only come to the public eye recently.
“A lot of these rules have been in place [for a while]. Maybe we’ve spoken about them now but a lot of them have been in place for any case. You keep on refining the rules as you go along, we’ll eventually try and do what suits the team.”