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Aakash Chopra acknowledged that the families of Indian cricketers are not to be blamed for the team’s losses.
Anushka Sharma at Ind vs Aus Perth match.
Former India batter Aakash Chopra has shared his opinion on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) new guidelines for overseas tours. Following India’s loss in the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, several reports emerged claiming BCCI has decided to not allow families to be with the players for the entire duration of an away series. Aakash addressed the reported guidelines on his YouTube channel and said, “The Internet is going crazy as to why families and partners are not being allowed to travel as it’s not their fault. It’s not their fault. Teams never lose because of them. Players are happier when they go and meet their family. There are two aspects to it.”
While Aakash Chopra acknowledged that the families of Indian cricketers are not to be blamed for the team’s losses, he didn’t see the guidelines as a ‘bad call.’ “If it’s a tour of more than 45 days, at the start, you get the team together and the families can come for two weeks in the middle when you feel homesick and then you get back to business. It’s not that bad,” he said.
Aakash Chopra further pointed out that a rule of this sort was prevalent earlier when some married cricketers were a part of the senior squad. “There was a reason why it used to happen like that earlier. It’s not that people weren’t married earlier… Sachin paaji (Tendulkar), Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil bhai (Kumble), when all these married people used to travel with us, the wives were allowed for some time,” the former India batter added.
In the same YouTube video, Aakash Chopra recalled the 2003-04 India’s Tour of Australia when the whole senior team spent time with other players’ families. “I remember us celebrating New Year in Sydney and the entire team was on the boat. I think Rahul Dravid’s wife was there. We were playing games and you develop a bond,” Aakash concluded.
As for the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India endured their first defeat in the tie’s history since the 2014/15 campaign. After a massive victory in Perth, the Rohit Sharma-led side just couldn’t find the right rhythm as they conceded defeats in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney which also saw them crash out of the ICC World Test Championship 2023/25 final. Gautam Gambhir’s men will now have their eyes set on winning the upcoming white-ball series against England to prepare themselves for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy that begins next month.
