In a complete turnaround to what was witnessed at the Indian Premier League, Indian cricketers are barred from spending late nights.
In a complete turnaround to what was witnessed at the Indian Premier League, Indian cricketers are barred from spending late nights. MiD DAY learns that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has issued curfew orders to the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team currently in the West Indies for the ICC World T20.
|
| M S Dhoni during a training session in West Indies. pic/AFP |
All members of the team have to return to their respective rooms by 9.30 pm. If players want to step out for a meal, they need to take special permission from team manager Ranjib Biswal, the former India under-19 player and national selector.
The curfew move may appear to be aligned with the Indian cricket board's decision to do away with post-match parties from next year's Indian Premier League (as reported first by MiD DAY last month).
Late night outings may give rise to new controversies and the Indian cricket board does not want any more issues which will contribute to their image being tarnished.
A curfew for the team has come into force after around eight years. Manager Biswal has also been given the right to send a player back home if he doesn't adhere to team rules. "I must say that each and every player is respecting the rules," said Biswal. The Orissa man is in touch with BCCI president Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan on a regular basis.
Each and every player was briefed by the BCCI on team values before the tour and the cricket bosses were mindful of the fact that player behaviour was not at its best during the last T20 World event ufffd in England, 2009.
It can be recalled that captain Dhoni boycotted the media when a section of the press reported that he and star batsman Virender Sehwag were at loggerheads. To the team's credit, the player-media relations have been cordial on this tour.
