Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has compared the current Indian cricket culture to “mainstream Bollywood.”
His assessment came after the BCCI announced sweeping changes to Indian cricket team's player regulations in the wake of the 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy debacle in Australia.
Cracking the whip against the players, the Indian board has implemented a stringent 10-point guidelines, including making participation in domestic tournaments mandatory to be eligible for national selection and central contracts. It also warned of disciplinary action in case of non-compliance.
The board has also imposed restrictions on family travel for overseas tours and taking personal staff such as chefs, bodyguards, and more.
"It's almost sort of juvenile that the moment India loses 3-0 against New Zealand and in Australia, these things come up. I wish this was addressed while India was winning. It shouldn't need a debacle of this kind for certain issues that particularly don't go well with the team culture," Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo Newsroom.
"This is one of the smaller reasons for what we saw at home against New Zealand and in Australia. This has to be the basic norm. That is how we played in our entire career. We were sharing rooms. Families used to come during the last two weeks of a tour," he added.
Manjrekar then cited Sachin Tendulkar's example, saying that the batting legend did not roam around with his personal bodyguard everywhere despite being a huge star.
"Sachin Tendulkar was a huge star in our days. He used to be with the team. He didn't have a personal bodyguard travelling with the team. If you are with the team, there is obviously enough security there," Manjrekar stated.
"The culture that has crept into Indian cricket is a little similar to the culture we see in mainstream Bollywood. I wish after this, cricket and Indian cricket remain what it truly is: it's sport," he remarked.
According to Manjrekar, having families around on tours doesn't help the team environment and bonding. He also pointed out how players keep taking periodic breaks in between, thus, staying away from families for a few days can be manageable.
"I have always felt as a professional, on shorter tours, it is better off with not having family there. However, the argument was made that players play so much cricket and travel around so much, which is a little unfair to players. But that situation is in the past now. Players take periodic breaks from cricket so they get to spend time with their families," said Manjrekar.
"I am a big believer that players should be on their own. It's a high-pressure job, a lot of tension, and I don't think if you are taking your periodic breaks, family is coming on tours, it doesn't help the team culture and the whole environment," he concluded.