“Ab to aur ek dedh ghanta baithna padega iske baad. Secretary ke saath baithna padega thoda discuss karne keliye. Ye sab cheez family wamily ka ye wo. Ab sab mereko bol rahe hai ki yaar…” Rohit could be heard telling Agarkar quiety before his conversation tailed off as he acknowledged someone else. It translates to: “Now I have to sit another hour, hour and a half after this. Will have to sit down with the secretary to discuss a few things. About the family and other stuff. Now everyone is telling me…”

It is unclear as to who the “secretary” is but it could be the BCCI’s new secretary Devajit Saikia. Among the standout points in the 10-point protocol from the board was restrictions on how many days a player’s family can spend with them during the tour. It also mandated that the players had to stay and travel with the rest of the team bus.

The BCCI’s 10-point diktat

It has to be noted that the board has never officially released this document to the public. It was accessed by the Hindustan Times and in it, it has been stated that the protocols have been shaped so as to “promote discipline, unity, and a positive team environment while ensuring professional standards and operational efficiency during tours and series.”

In the document, the board has made participation in domestic cricket mandatory. This came amid increased conversations around senior batters Rohit and Virat Kohli sitting out domestic cricket. Rohit has now confirmed that he will play for Mumbai in the next round of Ranji Trophy matches while Kohli is sitting out due to a neck niggle.

According to the guidelines released, participation in domestic matches will be a must “for players to remain eligible for selection in the national team and for central contracts.” The Board has approved only a two-week window for families to stay with the players during overseas tours

BCCI also barred separate travel arrangements with families, as the board said that “all players are expected to travel with the team to and from matches and practice sessions.”

Part of these protocols will also mandate that while players have to make themselves available for BCCI’s official shoots, promotional activities, and functions, they will not be permitted to engage in personal shoots or endorsements during a series or tour. The latter rule has been implemented to “avoid distractions and ensures that the players’ focus remains on cricket and team responsibilities.”

The diktats came in the wake of India’s disastrous run in the 2024/25 season. After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, India lost to Sri Lanka in an ODI series for the first time since 1997 before collapsing to an unprecedented 3-0 whitewash in a Test series at home to New Zealand. The result set a number of unwanted firsts for India, chief of which was that it ended a record winning streak in Test series at home for the team. India had also never lost a Test series to New Zealand at home and had never been whitewashed in a Test rubber at home that consisted of more than two matches.

This was followed by them losing to Australia 3-1 Down Under and thus conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade. All of it resulted in them missing out on the World Test Championship for the first time, despite being favourites to make it there at the start of the season.

Over the course of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, reports had emerged of the Indian team not really celebrating their remarkable win in the first Test in Perth. Reports stated that players seemed to prefer to go their own ways almost immediately after the match ended and celebrated with their families.

What Rohit and Agarkar said about the protocols

When asked about it in the press conference, Rohit didn’t seem keen to address it. “Who told you about these rules? Has it come from the official handle of the BCCI? Let it come officially,” said Rohit. Agarkar, on the other hand, tried playing down the relevance of the protocols. “I suppose every team has some rules in place. We’ve spoken about various things you see over the last few months where you can improve as a team, where you can get a bit closer as a team. It’s not a school. It’s not a punishment,” he said.

“It’s just you have some rules in place and when you’re playing for the national team you just follow those rules. Again, these are mature individuals. They are superstars in their own rights in international sport,” said Agarkar.