Apart from the senior team, the behavioural counselling programme will include all the age-group national teams and the A squads.
The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) is contemplating to have a behavioural counselling programme for the Indian cricket team.
Following the "misogynistic" and "sexist" comments made by Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on the popular TV show Koffee with Karan, the administrators faced widespread criticism over the falling reputation of the game in India.
Apart from the senior team, the behavioural counselling programme will include all the age-group national teams and the A squads.
“The Indian senior team as well as the Emerging, A teams and U-19s will have behavioural counselling session at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The course will deal with every aspect of a professional sportsperson’s life. There will also be sessions on gender sensitivity,” a senior BCCI official, privy to the development, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
When asked whether Rahul and Pandya will attend the classes separately, the official replied: “There will be no separate sessions for Rahul and Pandya. The entire Indian team will attend sessions and these two boys, as centrally contracted cricketers, will attend the same.”
Pandya and Rahul are currently facing suspension pending an inquiry by the BCCI and it is not yet known what punishment would be handed to the two cricketers. Recently, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) requested the Supreme Court of India to appoint an ombudsman for the further inquiry in the case.
Despite the daunting schedule, the senior team will attend a few sessions but the course will be more significant for India’s U-19 cricketers.
“Players like 17-year-olds Prabh Simran Singh (Rs 4.8 crore for KXIP) or Prayas Ray Burman (Rs 1.6 crore for RCB) have become overnight millionaires even before playing a single Ranji match. There should be life coaches, who would counsel them,” a former India player said.
Report also claims that lawyer Veena Gowda, who had recommended gender sensitization classes for CEO Rahul Johri, has been requested to suggest names of the company/individual for conducting the sessions. Johri was given a clean chit by a three-member panel, which included Gowda, with regards to multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him during the #MeToo campaign in India last year.
“Initially, CoA chief Vinod Rai had asked former Internal Complaints Committee head Kareena Kripalani to set the ball rolling and get a company with expertise on such programmes to conduct sessions,” the official said.
“However Edulji, who of late has differed on every issue with Rai, refused to agree as her contention was that Kripalani directly reports to the CEO. She had suggested that Veena Gowda, who had recommended gender sensitization classes decide on relevant organisation or individual,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)