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Aakash Chopra opines on the BCCI’s new rules for official shoots and functions
By SMCS - Jan 19, 2025 8:20 am
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Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned whether the Indian players were excusing themselves from official shoots and functions as the BCCI has made them mandatory as well. He also said personal shoots during a series being disallowed an ‘interesting’ rule as well. Notably, India faced a 1-3 loss to Australia in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. After reviewing the series with Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI made a few rules to be followed by all players as well.

rohit sharma
Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said: “Personal shoots won’t be allowed. Another interesting one as personal engagements are generally kept out during a series. It’s obvious everyone does not have that, only a few people have it. You want to create team bonding and foster unity. It’s been written like that multiple times in this document. It’s been said that you cannot do personal shoots but you need to mandatorily be there for BCCI shoots. Once again there is a question, if you have to go to meet the high commissioner or there is some other shoot, were people excusing themselves from that too, that this had to be written?”

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In the same video, Aakash Chopra also opined on why the BCCI had to make a rule for players to be present for the entirety of a practice session as well.

Gautam Gambhir
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir

“You cannot leave early from practice sessions. I am just wondering that practice sessions are just for three to four hours, there too it has been clearly written that players will have to stay there for the entire duration, and no one can pick up their bags and leave after finishing their bowling or batting. Just think about it, why would such a rule have come? I am as clueless as you are. However, I am being forced to think that if this is being given in writing to the players and they are being told that this is now mandatory, were people actually running away from practice sessions early? It’s a very interesting one,” Aakash Chopra concluded.