Give Indian cricket team a break, says chief coach Ravi Shastri to BCCI

Team India’s head coach Ravi Shastri has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be much more considerate when it comes to scheduling international matches in order to provide adequate breaks to players and support staff. In a video conference on Friday with the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) and board chief executive officer Rahul Johri, Shastri put forward his request. India has just returned home from a long tour of Sri Lanka where they whitewashed the neighbours. But such is India’s playing schedule, that they will have to host Australia in a home series, starting next week during which they will play five ODIs and three T20s against them. “Such tight scheduling gives the players little time to recuperate.” Sources in the BCCI have confirmed that Shastri and players want the board to plan better when it comes to their scheduling. “The international calendar is so tight these days and it’s not only the matches that take a toll on players’ body, but the long flights and travelling. Shastri has requested us to look into it, as he believes it would help players to recover faster. England and Australia give enough gaps between series and the BCCI too should have a plan where players can get a decent break and recover better. Otherwise, everyone is happy with the way how BCCI is taking care of its players,” a source in the BCCI informed. The Indian team is staring at three back-to-back home series this winter. Australia will play a one month-long series from September 17 to October 13. And just four days later, New Zealand will arrive for a series starting October 17 and ending on November 7. Barely a week later, Sri Lanka will land for a series slated from November 15 to December 24. As soon as India wrap up with the Lanka series, they will rush to South Africa on December 28 where they will play three T20s, three ODIs followed by four Tests matches. It’s not only Shastri who has expressed his displeasure with the scheduling, India team manager Kapil Malhotra, in his report submitted to BCCI post Champions Trophy, had suggested to provide enough time and rest day to the Indian squad, especially after long flights. “If you see the scheduling, the day we got into London in the morning, within a few hours the Captain had to attend the arrival press conference, then (the) captains’ photo shoot, then the entire squad had to attend an anti-doping educational briefing along with an ACU educational briefing,” Malhotra had written in his report. When the England team travelled to India in 2016, their board had ensured the players got a ‘Chirstmas break’ between the series. On the other hand, the Indian team will be in the middle of the series against New Zealand this Diwali. Draft constitution ready Meanwhile, the COA has completed its work on the draft constitution of BCCI, incorporating Lodha Committee’s recommendations. The COA will submit the draft to the Supreme Court on September 11. The draft will also be circulated among BCCI’s members. The COA is likely to request the state associations to express their difficulties before Supreme Court on its next hearing on September 19. The COA will compile the replies of the state associations and submit it to the Apex Court. North East teams to get berth COA also met representatives from the North East, who had demanded their teams to be included in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy. COA chairman Vinod Rai assured North East representatives that their state teams would be included from next season onwards. COA has informed six North East states – Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh – that the board junior tournament U-16 (Vinoo Mankad) and U-23 (CK Nayudu Trophy) will have a dedicated North East Zone. “We have completed our work and we will definitely submit the draft constitution in Supreme Court much before the next scheduled hearing on September 19. There will not be a sixth status report,” Rai told reporters after COA’s meeting in New Delhi. When Rai was quizzed about status of units like Kolkata’s National Cricket Club (NCC) and Mumbai’s Cricket Club of India (CCI), which are supposed to forgo full membership, plus voting rights if according to the Lodha Reforms, Rai said: “That will be upto the Supreme Court to decide on how much cricket they play.” With inputs from PTI