“We Didn’t Lose 1-3 Because Wives And Partners Were There…”: Harbhajan Singh Slams BCCI’s Harsh Guidelines For Players

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Cric News India

January 18, 2025 0 697

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Harbhajan Singh Questions BCCI

BCCI’s recently issued 10-point disciplinary guidelines which were questioned by Harbhajan Singh as he asks to focus on game improvement.

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed surprise at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) recently announced 10-point policy for centrally contracted players, stating that many of these rules existed during his playing days. However, he questioned why and how these guidelines had been altered over the years.

“When I was reading the travel policy document reported by the media, I hardly found anything new from the last time I represented India as a centrally-contracted cricketer. At least nine out of 10 points, including the duration of family visits, staying in the same hotel, and practice timings, are the same. My question is if these rules were in place during my time, who all have altered it and when? That should be probed,” Harbhajan told PTI.

The BCCI introduced these measures following India’s 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. A review meeting, attended by head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma, and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, emphasized adherence to domestic cricket, restrictions on family travel, baggage limits, and bans on players leaving tours early if matches conclude ahead of schedule.

To enforce compliance, the BCCI warned of strict disciplinary actions, including bans from board-conducted tournaments like the IPL and deductions in match fees or annual contracts.

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Harbhajan Questions Focus on Off-Field Policies

While acknowledging the need for discipline, Harbhajan criticized the emphasis on off-field policies, suggesting they distract from addressing India’s poor cricketing form. “We didn’t lose 1-3 because wives and partners were there for two months. We didn’t lose because someone travelled separately. We lost because we have played very poor cricket at times. We didn’t bat well even at home. We have players who are horribly out of form. What are the course corrections being made? Or is it just these off-the-field things being discussed?” Singh questioned.

Reflecting on his time with the team, Harbhajan Singh then pointed out that senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Anil Kumble adhered to such policies without issue. “In our times, I never saw a Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, or Anil Kumble leave for Mumbai, Kolkata, or Bengaluru just because the match ended in three days and the next game was a week away. They all stayed and travelled to the next destination,” Singh concluded.