The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided the office bearers will be taking calls on any player request of partners travelling on a tour. Previously, the captain and the coach were given the power, going by the rules and regulations of the Committee of Administration. The issue of WAGs has made the headlines quite a number of times over the last year or so.

The issue has concerned the BCCI enough to make alterations in the rules. On May 21, 2019, the Vinod Rai-led CoA took the decision of giving the captain and coach with the authority. However, from now on, Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, and Ravi Shastri, the head coach of the national team, won’t be having their say in the matter.

“Any individual request will have to come through the office-bearers. It’s not a big matter, but this is clearly the best way to do it,” a top BCCI official was quoted as saying in Hindustan Times.

The rules surrounding the WAGs is a part of the ‘Family Clause of the Players’ Contracts’. “The authority to approve any visits from visitors outside the Visitor Period should vest with the Team Captain and Coach, and this should be reflected in the Family Clause of the Players’ Contracts,” the earlier minutes of the meeting read.

Diana Edulji welcomes the change

The previous rule was a controversial one as a number of players, reportedly, weren’t happy. The same was because the captain and coach got involved in administrative matters. It was perceived to be a rule that could potentially create unnecessary ruptures in the team.

During the World Cup in England and Wales, the CoA had refused permission to one of the senior players for his family to be allowed. When the previous rule was formed, Diana Edulji was the only one, showing dissent. After the BCCI made the alterations, she was pretty happy.

“These issues can become complicated in a team environment, and these decisions are best left for the administrators to take. The captain and the coach should be allowed to focus on cricket and the manager keeps tab of these things on tour. With the BCCI run by office-bearers again, they should take the call,” Edulji mentioned.