'Rather than commenting on this, concentrate on what we can control': India pacer's verdict on BCCI's family diktat

India and Delhi Capitals bowler Mohit Sharma reacted to BCCI's revised policy regarding family members accompanying players on tours. While the debate has drawn strong reactions from cricketers, including Virat Kohli, Mohit had a rather balanced verdict, emphasizing that players should focus on what is within their control.

Under the new rules, families, including spouses and children, are allowed to join players only for 14 days after the first two weeks on tours exceeding 45 days. On shorter tours, the duration is restricted to a week.

The policy shift followed India’s 3-1 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Speaking to ANI, Mohit Sharma said, “Some things are beyond our control. While we all have personal opinions, it's essential to focus on what we can manage. How can the presence of families be a bad thing? If something isn't in our hands, it's best to leave it as it is. Rather than commenting on such matters, we should concentrate on what we can control.”

The comments from Mohit came in the wake of Kohli's remarks on the same; the India batting great has been outspoken about the need for players to have their families around.

How Kohli reacted

At the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit ahead of IPL 2025, Kohli articulated his stance clearly.

"It is very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something intense, which happens on the outside," he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"I do not think people have an understanding of what value it brings to a large extent. And I feel quite disappointed about that because it is like people who have no control over what is going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out at the forefront that, 'oh, maybe they need to be kept away'," Kohli added.

The former India captain further explained, "I want to be able to be normal. And then you can really treat your game as something that is a responsibility. You finish that responsibility, and you come back to life."

Kohli also emphasized how family presence fosters a sense of normalcy. “Like, there could be different situations happening in your life all the time. And that allows you to be absolutely normal. Not in a vague sense, but in a very real way that you finish your commitment, your responsibility, and then you come back to your house, you are with family, and there's absolutely normalcy in your house and normal family life goes on. So, for me, that is absolutely a day of immense pleasure. And I would not miss any opportunities to go out and spend time with my family whenever I can.”