As international cricketers gear up for the 2019 World Cup, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has reportedly put forward a number of demands during a meeting with the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Hyderabad.
Based on several reports, Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, ODI vice-captain Rohit Sharma, coach Ravi Shastri and chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, were also in attendance for the meeting.
The list of demands includes permission for wives to accompany players for the full overseas tour, a reserved train coach during the World Cup in England, a hotel with proper gymnasium, and bananas.
Apparently, the England Cricket Board (ECB) did not provide the team with bananas during their recently-concluded cricketing tour to the country. The also voiced their concerns over the booking of hotels that housed a fully-equipped gymnasium.
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However, sources informed that no decision has been finalised on the matter so far, and added that the recommendation process is underway. CoA member Diana Edulji, while responding to the same, had stated that “more opinions will be taken” in the matter and it might “take some more time.”
Earlier this year, the BCCI had announced that wives and girlfriends of cricketers will be allowed to stay with their partners only for a duration of two weeks while the team is touring overseas. In response to those restrictions, Kohli had put forth a request before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow wives of players to extend their stay on overseas tour.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly has written a scathing letter to the BCCI Acting President CK Khanna, Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, in the wake of the recent sexual harassment allegations leveled against former BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and the mismanagement of the Supreme Court Committee of Advisors which has seen the image of the national cricketing body take a severe beating over the last couple of months.
In the letter to the BCCI office bearers, which was accessed by ANI, one of India’s most successful captains, has gone onto to point out several instances that have caused major damage to the reputation of BCCI over the years.
Sensing that Indian cricket was in danger, Ganguly felt this needed to be looked into with immediate effect. He concluded by saying that BCCI is an institution that was built with immense hard work and superb administration. However, the current state of affairs has caused severe damage to the image of the world’s richest sports governing body.