
Courtesy: Google
During the press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who was sitting alongside captain Rohit Sharma, announced the 15-member squad for India’s home ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. When a journalist asked Rohit Sharma about the rumoured BCCI guidelines restricting families to travel with players on overseas tours, he bluntly told him to wait for the official announcement from the governing body of Indian cricket for the same.
Notably, following the disastrous Test tour to Australia, which saw the Indian cricket team lose the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test series 1-3, there were reports circulating in the media about the BCCI imposing restrictions on families travelling with players on overseas tours. At one point in the press conference, Rohit Sharma discussed the same matter in Hindi with Ajit Agarkar without realising that the mic was on.
I will have to sit for an hour or more with BCCI secretary to discuss the matter of family: Rohit Sharma
Sharma was quoted as saying to Agarkar, “Mere ko ek dedh ghanta baithna padega, secretary ke saath baithna padega discuss karne ke liye ye family-wamily ka ab sab mujhko puch rahe hai (I will have to sit for an hour or more with the [BCCI] secretary to discuss the matter of family since every [player] is asking me about it). The question was also posed in this regard to him, to which he responded, “Who told you about the rules? Has it come from any official (BCCI) handle? Let it come officially first.”
Moreover, in the press conference, Rohit Sharma also confirmed his availability for Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy game, which will be his first in nearly 10 years. At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, he will be playing against Jammu & Kashmir from January 23 onwards before making his next appearance for India during the ODI series against England starting on February 6.
Rohit Sharma will be hoping for better results as an ODI captain in the next couple of months in comparison to India’s poor form in Tests under his leadership, to potentially extend his international career into the second half of 2025 and beyond.