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Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has reignited the discussion surrounding the BCCI's travel policy for Team India players, particularly the restrictions on families accompanying the squad. The first significant cultural change ushered in by current head coach Gautam Gambhir during his tenure with the Indian cricket team was the implementation of a strict new policy, family members and personal staff were prohibited from joining players during domestic series or accompanying them for the entirety of overseas tours.
Ravi Shastri on BCCI's travel policy for Team India players
This fresh mandate from the BCCI was a direct reaction to a pair of harsh Test series losses, one at home against New Zealand and another away in Australia, and was introduced with the specific intent of ensuring players maintained focused intensity while on duty.
This decision proved to be highly controversial. Proponents of the policy argued that professional cricket left little room for sentimentality, asserting that the rule was necessary to extract the maximum performance from the squad. Conversely, detractors criticised it as old-school thinking, suggesting that such policies often result in the unfair blaming of partners and children for poor on-field results, and should have been relegated to the past.
Amidst the debate Ravi Shastri eventually offered his perspective on the new rule. During his own time as the former India coach, Shastri had never adopted such a plan but nonetheless oversaw some of the team’s most significant Test successes, lending weight to his opinion on the matter.
“When there are too many people around, you tend to get distracted. He (Gambhir) must have seen it's getting out of hand. So he just put a limit on what can be done and what cannot be done,” Shastri said during a conversation on the Grade Cricketer podcast.
Gill is the man for the next decade for India: Ravi Shastri
Shastri elaborated that fostering a dressing-room environment that can handle such demands requires a very specific type of leadership. The individual in charge must be composed, able to think on their feet, and operate effectively without succumbing to excessive pressure.
In relation to the young talent in the squad, the former Indian coach spoke highly of Shubman Gill, who actually made his debut during Shastri's own tenure. Shastri expressed his support and backed Gill as a player
“The good thing for him is that he has got a captain now who is stable, composed, and calm. Gill is the man for the next decade for India,” Shastri concluded.
The upcoming ODI series against Australia will be Gill's third assignment as India captain. However, he will have the cushion of veteran players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who will be around him to assist him. The series opener will be played on October 19 in Perth.
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