CHENNAI: India players travelling for the World Cup will be able to have the company of their wives and family members for a maximum of 20-30 days. It is understood that following requests from the team management, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) on behalf of the BCCI has given the necessary permission.
Having near and dear ones by their side can help the players in a high-pressure tournament, seems to the idea.
Since last year, the Indian team has been requesting the CoA to allow family members to travel with them since they are usually on the road for a long time.
Last year, when the team played a majority of its matches on overseas soil, captain Virat Kohli and a few other players requested the CoA to allow them right through a tour. However, this was not granted.
As per rules, for a tour of 45 days, players can bring their families along after the first two weeks. But keeping the World Cup in mind, the Indian team had made certain requests to the CoA, which this newspaper understands, are close to being accepted. According to reliable sources, the players and support staff can have their families joining them 15 days after landing in England.
Kohli & Co will depart for England on May 22 — 10 days after the IPL final. This means family members can join the players after India’s first match against South Africa on June 5. However, they have to head back home if India reach the semifinals.
Cook on board
The team is also likely to have a travelling cook, to take care of their preferences. It is understood that during last year’s tour of England, many players suffered because there was little to choose from the menu. As a result, many are understood to have relied on food from outside the hotels they were staying. This is something the team wants to avoid during the World Cup.
Moreover, the players will be on a diet designed especially for the big event by strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu. Having a cook may make things easier. In 2016, during the tour of Caribbean the team had a travelling cook.
However, with only two months to go for the quadrennial showpiece, the BCCI hasn’t sent the team an itinerary yet, as officials entrusted with the job are taking extra care in addressing various concerns. Last year, some of the hotels the Indian team was put up in didn’t have gym facilities and players had to make arrangements elsewhere, which the BCCI is keen to avoid.
Also, with regards to the team’s request to allow them to travel on local trains, the BCCI is understood to be scratching its head as it can lead to security issues. While the players want to use the train for shuttling between cities as it reduces travel time, the BCCI is concerned that it can make things harder for the security personnel in charge of the cricketers.