After India’s 1-3 defeat in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia earlier this year, the BCCI took a tough call. The board released a 10-point guideline, where they restricted the presence of players’ families to spend with the players during any foreign tour. This step from the BCCI received a mixed reaction from the players and fans, where many, including star batter Virat Kohli, also expressed disappointment. Recently, former India batter Suresh Raina also opened up on this as well.

Speaking to Ranveer Allahbadia on his YouTube channel, Raina said, “You do have mental health issues. When you are going through a lean phase and there’s an army gunning for your spot, then such issues crop up. You fear being dropped. When chips are down you need someone to talk to,” Raina told Ranveer Allahbadia on his YouTube channel.

“When you’re happy, you seldom need anyone. But when you’re down, you fear talking thinking this may end up reaching the coach or the captain,” he said. “So out of hesitation, players don’t speak out,” he further added.

However, Suresh Raina, who announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, gave an example of star batter Virat Kohli to support his argument as well. Notably, during the Champions Trophy 2025 in February, players like Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami had their families with them in Dubai but they did not stay at the team hotel as well.

“It is very important to have family on tours. BCCI has taken a big decision that family is not allowed – I’m against this. You are sending them to a tour for two months…family should be allowed. It’s not that they (family) are against the players, they (also) would want us to score runs and the country to win,” said Raina.

“(Imagine) Virat Kohli playing, his daughter clapping – it’s such a proud moment. He will set the stage on fire,” Suresh Raina concluded.