Image: The BCCI has enforced strict rules, including a ban on players using PR agencies / © Cricadium
With the poor run in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued new protocols to improve team unity and discipline. This follows the disappointing performances of key players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who struggled during the series. Kohli scored only 190 runs in five Tests, averaging 23.75, while Sharma had a particularly rough time, managing just 31 runs at an average of 6.20, even dropping himself from the final Test.
As part of the new measures, the BCCI has imposed stricter rules on players’ PR activities. Harsha Bhogle, a veteran cricket expert, has advocated for banning PR agencies from managing team members’ reputations, suggesting it would help level the playing field and reduce external influence on public perception, especially when players are going through rough patches.
Additionally, the BCCI has introduced guidelines to limit the presence of players’ families on tours. Families can now join players only for short durations, with strict limits on their stay depending on the length of the tour. The BCCI also emphasized that players must travel together on team buses to enhance unity.
These measures come as the BCCI looks to boost the Indian team’s collective performance and morale after recent setbacks.