“Eventually you will go back to your home” - Former Pakistan bowler supports BCCI’s reported rule for wives post BGT 2024-25

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has backed BCCI's new reported ruling regarding players accompanying wives and girlfriends for only two weeks on 45-day tours. The 44-year-old shared that spending time with other players will improve bonding between them, help the team gel well, and help them make strategies. He added that the players would reunite with their loved ones anyway after the tour.

The BCCI's new reported rule came to light following a review meeting with head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma and Chief Selector elector Ajit Agarkar after India lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The Men in Blue will next tour England in June later this year.

Kaneria said on his YouTube channel:

"Eventually you will go back to your home. It’s okay that you bring them for one or two weeks and then spend time with your teammates. It increases your understanding, you bond with each other, and you know each other’s nature."

"You talk cricket, strategy, and team and there are a lot of things that they lack. When you don’t meet after the game, you regroup only in the morning," he added.

"They used to talk, and make strategies" - Danish Kaneria shares example of team bonding after BCCI's new rule

Danish Kaneria further shared an example of how Indian players used to make strategies by spending quality time with each other during India's tour of Pakistan in 2005. The leg-spinner added that such things were not possible when the players accompanied wives and girlfriends due to privacy issues.

He said in the same video:

"When it comes to team bonding, I remember the India tour of Pakistan in 2005. We were play in Multan and we were staying at Serena Hotel and in the evening, we saw that every Indian players – Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh - all these players used to go to Sachin Tendulkar’s room. They used to talk, and make strategies. There was a lot of bonding. I think the bonding was missing."

"When there’s family, you go to respective rooms and do your own stuff. Similarly, a team is like a family. So, if the team is family, why not spend much time with them?" he added.

Kaneria represented Pakistan in 61 Tests, picking up 261 wickets. He has the fourth most Test wickets for the Men in Green.