Celebrity tradition ends, Supercoach period begins

The BCCI continues to put its trust in Gautam Gambhir. The India Cricket Team head coach has now got himself more power from the board in his bid to end the ‘Superstar Culture’ in the team. And this essentially means it is the start of a new era – The era of a Supercoach.

The BCCI recently laid down 10 new rules for the players to follow. And these rules will see Gautam Gambhir getting more power over the players. Gautam Gambhir has always been an advocate of team spirit and has countless times claimed that cricket is played with 11 players and not based on an individual.

As for the current Indian Cricket Team, there are a plethora of superstars in the team. And Gambhir is now determined to bring an end to his culture where a player starts to believe that he is probably bigger than the team. The first step to stop it is taking more control of the matters concerning the players.

The players will now have to get permission from the coach for quite a few things which wasn’t the case before. The board is extremely disappointed after India was humiliated by both New Zealand at home and Australia away. The two series losses ensured India failed to make it to the WTC Finals.

What added powers has Gambhir got?

Gautam Gambhir now has the absolute control over many new things. These include the participation of players in domestic matches and tournaments. Apart from the Head coach, the players will also have to get approval from the BCCI if they fail to participate in these tournaments.

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Another important rule is the attendance at practice sessions. It is now compulsory for players to take part and attend the practice sessions to the full. The players are also asked to travel together to and from the venue together to foster team bonding.

“All players are expected to adhere strictly to the above guidelines. Any exceptions or deviations must be pre-approved by the Chairman of the Selection Committee and head coach. Non-compliance may lead to disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the BCCI,” the BCCI said in its mandate.

It makes it absolutely clear that the Head Coach needs to be informed of everything that the players are going through. While players can be unhappy with the inclusion of the new rules, it remains to be seen if these rules can bring changes to the team.