The changes come after the BCCI officials met head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for a meeting in Mumbai last Saturday. The meeting was called after back-to-back Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia.
Further a proposal is in pipeline to ensure that players are more “accountable” and, if needed, face a pay cut based on their performance. It has been reported that if the performance of any player is not up to the mark, it would impact his earnings.
Along with performance-based pay structure, norms for travelling with wives during India’s overseas tours is also being mulled upon. Iit is being decided that players’ wives and family members will no longer be allowed to stay for entire tours. For longer series, families can stay for only 14 days, while for shorter tours, the limit will be just seven days
Additionally, all players, regardless of their stature, will now travel together on the team bus to ensure unity. This rule also extends to Gambhir’s manager, who will be barred from staying at team hotels, watching matches from the VIP box, or using the team bus. These changes are part of the BCCI’s effort to tighten discipline and focus within the squad.
India lost the home Test series against New Zealand 0-3 and went down in the Border-Gavaskar series 1-3 in Australia. The series losses put the performances of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma under scanner.
“It was one of the suggestions given that players should be held accountable, and if their performance is deemed not fit as per expectations, they should face variable pay cuts,” Indian Express quoted a source.
“There was a detailed discussion on the Border Gavaskar Trophy performance and what all went wrong and the course correction required. But do not expect a hurried decision from the new dispensation of BCCI,” a source privy to developments in the Board told Press Trust of India.
Last year, BCCI introduced an incentive system for its Test players. As part of it, players who feature in more than 50% of Tests in a season since 2022-23 would receive a financial incentive of ₹30 lakh per game, and the payout will increase to ₹45 lakh per game for every player who plays at least 75% of the matches in a season as per news18.com.
India is gearing up for a few months of white-ball action where they will be first playing a five-match T20I series against England followed by a three-match ODI series against the same opposition. The matches against England kickstart from January 22.
The team will then take off for the UAE for the all-important ICC Champions Trophy that will be played from February 19.
First Published: Jan 14, 2025 1:05 PM IST
