‘It’s the cricket board’s call’ – Former India legend breaks silence after Virat Kohli expressed frustration over BCCI’s rule

Former Indian legendary star and 1983 World Cup winner Kapil Dev has broken his silence about a contentious rule. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had put in a strict rule regarding family joining players during a tour. Virat Kohli, recently had expressed frustrations over the rule that was being put in place by the board. The new rule came into force after India lost the Border Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. 

Kapil Dev addressed the issues during the ‘Kapil Dev Grand Thorton International’. The former India skipper as quoted by Hindustan Times said, “Well, I don’t know, that’s individual. I think it’s the cricket board’s call, My view is, yes, you need family. But you also need a team, all the time."

The 66-year-old also said, “In our time, we used to say to ourselves – not by the cricket board – that the first half of the tour should be cricket, and in the second half, the family should come and enjoy it too. It should be a blend.”

Is BCCI set for a rethink regarding the rule?

After Virat Kohli made his opinions public, in a report carried by India Today, the BCCI is mulling a rethink of the rules. India Today quoted a BCCI source as saying, “Players can apply for permission if they want their families to stay longer on tours. The BCCI will make a decision as it sees fit.”

Many former cricketers had expressed surprise regarding the new rule. Former England skipper Jos Buttler was asked to comment on the rule during the recent tour of India. Buttler said, “I think it's important. We live in a day and age now, which is a very modern world, and I think it's great to be able to have families on the tour with you and try and enjoy that... There's a lot of cricket, people spend a long time away from home, and I think post-COVID all that's been highlighted as well. Absolutely, I don't think it affects the cricket too much." 

The former England skipper had also added, “I think it's something that is very manageable. Personally, from my point of view, I think it's really important to try and be able to share that with your family and lighten the load on being away from home.”