Former India opener Aakash Chopra recently opened up about the new guidelines issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the team’s travel from hotel to ground.
Recently, the BCCI has made it mandatory for all players to travel in the team bus, which means that no individual will be allowed to travel individually. The change in guidelines comes after India’s 1-3 Test series loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Chopra predicted that the rules may have changed for some players, which is why the board had to make a special announcement. He also lashed out at the players and coach involved in it and blamed them for a “huge disservice” to Indian cricket.
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Aakash Chopra breaks his silence on BCCI’s new rule changes
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opened up about the new BCCI rule changes which also included players traveling together in the team bus to the ground. Chopra welcomed the board’s decision but questioned why it had to be announced separately stating that it was normal for players to travel on the team bus.
“The first report, which I liked, was that all the players will travel in the team bus and I think that has been happening since forever. The team bus is called the team bus just for that, because the whole team will travel in it,” said Aakash Chopra.
“At least until we played cricket, the team used to travel only in the team bus. It’s a very normal thing. It’s normal for the circuit. It has to happen that way,” he remarked.
“It’s like telling someone you’re going to get breakfast in the morning and not lunch. However, if that’s been said, it means some rules have changed, and it would change for some individuals in particular,” he added.
Aakash Chopra criticizes players for ‘huge disservice’
Speaking further on the subject, Aakash Chopra claimed that he was not aware of the player involved in these matters but brushed him off as doing a disservice to Indian cricket. He also believes that this would not have happened without the coach’s approval and called him equally responsible for allowing it.
“Whoever did that, played a bit of a joke on Indian cricket and did a huge disservice because how can you treat people differently, otherwise you didn’t treat them differently but you gave the whole team permission to come in 15 separate vehicles. It wouldn’t have happened it didn’t happen without the coach’s approval,” Chopra said.
“So, somewhere or the other side, the coach or the team management has allowed this to happen, that it’s fine whichever way we travel and then we can meet on the field. It’s just wrong,” added the former India striker.
What is the change in the rules regarding travel to India?
Recently, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar met BCCI officials at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai to discuss the team’s performance in Australia.
The team leadership was told to go back to basic protocols which involved traveling together with the team on the bus, rather than opting to go individually. When players are in their hometown, they often try to travel individually in their vehicles to the field.
