Much has changed since the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia regarding Indian cricket. Team India, back home after a disappointing Test series in Australia, received a 10-point directive from the BCCI, restricting several activities within the team. Some of the bans included bringing personal chefs, stylists, and staff members along on foreign tours. However, once the Indian team made its entry into Dubai to start the ICC Champions Trophy campaign, Virat Kohli found a different means of getting the food that he wanted.
As reported in the Times of India, Kohli had a food packet loaded just after he finished training. While personal chefs haven’t been allowed by the BCCI, a resplendent Indian bat found an entirely dissimilar way to assuage his needs on overseas tours. It was said that Kohli had a conversation with a local team manager at the site. The need was analyzed in-depth, and then the manager brought back a packet from a noted eating joint.
“He had quite a few boxes of his post-session meal. While others were packing up their kit bags, Kohli was refueling and even saved a box for himself for the road,” said the report.
The 10-point diktat issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India stated: “Players cannot bring personal staff, like chefs, security guards or assistants, on tours unless expressly approved by the BCCI.”
Whether players or support staff of the Indian cricket team, everybody will have to adapt to the new protocols set by the BCCI. Even India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, who was having his Personal Assistant accompany him to the team hotel, across team buses, and in all other areas, has been asked to remain at a different hotel.
It was under the pressure, at the behest, understands the board, by the renowned players: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and others, to return to play Ranji Trophy. It might not have gone easy for Rohit and Virat, but the BCCI is clear in its intention to motivate domestic cricket with the recently drawn-up guidelines.
Showing so much confidence, he (Virat) was the first from team India to take the training. Ahead of him and along with him, Rohit Sharma faced the duo of pacemen: Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh. The other training mates were Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer, two unparalleled crude line-up who had the support staff and others literally ducking from soaring balls.
On February 20, Team India stands up to open its class in the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh, and later the ever-coveted encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan is scheduled on February 23. All of India’s matches are expected to take place at Dubai in the Champions Trophy.
