India captain Virat Kohli’s request of a change in policy regarding allowing wives and girlfriends of cricketers travelling with the team has reportedly been accepted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The BCCI’s Committee of Administrators have ruled that cricketers’ wives and girlfriends will be allowed to join them on tours after the first 10 days and be allowed to stay for the length of the tour, according to a report in The Times of India.
Earlier, wives and family members of cricketers and the support staff were only allowed to stay with the team for two weeks. It was reported earlier this month that Kohli requested the BCCI to relax the rules.
The Committee of Administrators met Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri and vice-captain Rohit Sharma in Hyderabad last week to discuss the matter. According to the report, the CoA arrived at the conclusion that the presence of wives and girlfriends on tour would help create a better support system for the cricketers on long tours.
Opinion has been divided across the world over whether wives and children should accompany teams during major tours. Many cricketing nations have restricted family time. The matter also came to the fore during the Fifa World Cup when some nations allowed wives and girlfriends to stay with the players while a few others put restrictions on their presence.
