By Akshat Jain | Updated: October 18, 2025 3:28 PM IST
Ex-India coach Ravi Shastri shared his opinion on Gautam Gambhir's new policy, which says that players' families should not stay with them for long periods during tours.
One of the first major decisions Gautam Gambhir made as part of the Indian cricket team's setup was to stop players from bringing family members or personal staff during home series or the full length of overseas tours. This new rule came after two tough Test series defeats, one at home against New Zealand and another away in Australia. The BCCI introduced this change to help players stay more focused and fully committed during matches.
This decision sparked debate. Supporters said it was a practical move to help players perform at their best, without getting emotional. On the other hand, critics felt it was outdated thinking and unfairly placed blame on players' families for poor results, something they believe should no longer happen.
Ravi Shastri, who was head coach before Gambhir, has now shared his thoughts on this rule. During his time in charge, Shastri didn't follow any such policy, but he did lead India to some of their biggest Test wins.
"When there are too many people around, you tend to get distracted," Shastri admitted while speaking on the Grade Cricketer podcast, previewing the India vs Australia white-ball series.
"He (Gambhir) must have seen it's getting out of hand. So he just put a limit on what can be done and what cannot be done,” he explained further, pointing out that the situation under the current coach might be vastly different to what he himself oversaw.