Focus on the Controllable: India pacer's stance on BCCI's family policy

India and Delhi Capitals bowler Mohit Sharma shared his thoughts on BCCI's revised policy regarding family members accompanying players on tours. While the decision has sparked heated discussions among cricketers, with even Virat Kohli voicing his opinion, Mohit's response was more measured. He stressed the importance of players focusing on things they can control, rather than getting caught up in external factors.

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.”

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }