India’s 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 after an embarrassing 3-0 clean sweep at the hands of New Zealand at home resulted in them getting knocked out of the race to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final. Following India’s defeats, the BCCI has introduced a strict 10-point guideline aimed at ensuring professional standards and efficiency during tours and series. A key change includes limiting the time players can spend with their families and enforcing mandatory team travel. However, Harbhajan Singh believes the focus should be on improving on-field performance rather than implementing such measures.
Harbhajan Singh believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is diverting attention from the core issue by introducing a policy guideline for players. He pointed out that most of the rules outlined in the new policy were already in place during his playing days and emphasized that the real concern lies in India’s recent poor performances on the field.
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“Hum log mudde se bhatak rahein hain (We are deviating from the main issue). 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?” Harbhajan questioned.
Harbhajan Reflects Criticises Need For Basic Guidelines
Harbhajan recalled his playing days, stating that rules needed revisiting as they were being flouted. He noted that legends like Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, and Kumble never left for home between matches, even if there was a long gap.
“I think some of the points needed to be revisited because they were being flouted. Like 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 has ended in three days and next game is a week away.”
The BCCI’s guidelines include a directive for players to travel on the team bus and avoid solo travel. Harbhajan Singh questioned the necessity of such reminders, deeming it self-evident.
“Why would you need to tell players that you have to travel by team bus? That’s a given. If someone was breaking the rule, that person needs to be probed.”
