NEW DELHI: Former India captain and 1983 World Cup-winning legend Kapil Dev has weighed in on the ongoing debate over cricketers’ families travelling during extended tours, calling for a balanced approach.
The BCCI recently introduced a new policy following India’s 1-3 Test series loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, restricting family presence on tours longer than 45 days. As per the guidelines, families can join players for up to 14 days on longer tours and just 7 days on shorter ones.
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“That’s the cricket board’s stance; mine is yes, you need family, but you also need the team all the time. In our time, we used to say to ourselves, not by the cricket board, that the first half should be about cricket; in the latter half, families should come and enjoy as well. It should be a blend,” said Kapil, speaking on the sidelines of the Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational 2025 press conference at The Claridges, New Delhi, on Tuesday.
The topic has spurred reactions from the current cricketers, with Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli also voicing his perspective at the RCB Innovation Lab Summit in Bengaluru.
“The contribution of family is hard to articulate to outsiders… how rejuvenating it is to return to your family after enduring something intense outside. I believe people often overlook the value it brings,” Kohli had said. “I prefer not to retreat to my room and sulk alone. I want to maintain a sense of normalcy. This way, you can view your game as a responsibility.”
Kapil, also the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), was addressing the media ahead of the third edition of the Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational, which will be held from April 23 to 26 at the Prestige Golfshire in Bengaluru.
The event will, for the first time, feature India’s top male and female golfers competing for the same prize purse of Rs 2 crore.
Reflecting on the contrasting upkeep of cricket and golf venues, Kapil quipped, “After I stopped playing cricket, I always used to say how come these greenkeepers keep the green so good. In the cricket ground, not even 2 acres, 3 acres, we still have patches. We still put colour there to cover that. But here we have 160 acres of land absolutely green, so cricket has a lot to learn from golf.”
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