Indian Cricket Isn’t Shampoo, Restrain on Wives Isn’t ‘5 Problems, 1 Solution’

Cricket is not spared from India's penchant for blaming women. BCCI's crackdown on wives is antiquated.

BCCI's crackdown on wives of Indian cricketers is outdated.

(Photo: X/Altered by The Quint)

The conceptualisation of memes was still in its infancy in 2010, yet one shampoo commercial catchphrase appeared in numerous humorous images. A renowned Indian actress promoted the shampoo as offering ‘5 problems, 1 solution.’

Virat Kohli’s international career was in its infancy in 2010, but in three years, he established himself as among India’s more promising young cricketers, and understandably so, as among the more marketable cricketers. Brand endorsements ensued, one of them becoming more prominent than others – yet again, unironically, a shampoo brand.

The uninitiated might enquire about the fixation on shampoo. Fair enough.

It just so happens that Kohli’s co-actor in the commercial, Anushka Sharma, would later become his wife. That, though, was in 2017, whilst in 2014, Sharma – an actor, with no connection to cricket – would find herself at the epicentre of unwarranted criticism and abuse.

Her crime?

She accompanied Kohli in what was arguably his most wretched overseas Tour, wherein he scored 134 runs across five Tests in England.

An even bigger crime?

Not long after she was pictured at Lord’s, Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck. Only the second ever in his career.

It did not require prudence and sagacity to disassociate the two completely unassociated events, yet, over-zealous demanded a focal point of condemnation. A scapegoat. And they found one, in Sharma.

The 2014 England tour did not mark the first instance of women being accused of something not even remotely associated with them. The ‘5 problems, 1 solution’ catchphrase found a disturbingly literal application.

It was also not the last instance. Despite an entire decade of repeated attempts at fostering compassion, spearheaded by Kohli himself, the nation finds itself trapped in an antiquated loop. And, unfortunately enough, so does the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

A Return to the Dark Ages

The recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy presented a meek, humdrum portrayal of the team run by cricket’s richest board. A crushing 3-1 defeat, the captain stepping down – or being asked to, depending on the version you like, a plethora of dressing room leaks, umimaginative strategies from the coaching team, abrupt retirement of a key figure, et al. Murphy’s law.

It is only natural that such an event will be followed by a multi-level inquest and corrective measures. Tragically, the first casualties in this fallout have been the wives and kids.

Per the new regulations:

• Wives and kids will be allowed to accompany a cricketer for only two weeks for a tour of more than 45 days.

• For shorter tours, wives and kids will be allowed to stay with the cricketers for only one week.

• Visits must be scheduled at a single time during dates agreed upon by the Coach, Captain, and GM Operations.

According to the board, this measure, alongside nine others, will “ensures accountability and reinforces the importance of adhering to established policies and prioritizing Indian cricket.” Non-complaince might invite harsh punishment, including suspension from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On the ‘reinforcement of established policies’ part, BCCI has had this restraint on travelling wives and children till 2018, when, on Kohli’s request, the rules were relaxed. Incidentally, the decision was taken not by the board, but by the four-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed by the Lodha Committee to oversee BCCI’s functioning.

India’s Penchant for Blaming Women

An inveterate concoction of patriarchy and misogyny has resulted in women being continually blamed for men’s actions, and failures, in this nation.

Keep sports aside for a while – this is a societal issue. Bollywood has glorified the trope of deranged, irrational male protagonists turning to violence upon their feelings not being reciprocated by their female counterparts.

Shah Rukh Khan’s obsessive Rahul (Darr, 1983) lives through Shahid Kapoor’s toxic Kabir (Kabir Singh, 2019). Salman Khan’s anguished Radhe (Tere Naam, 2003) lives through Ranbir Kapoor’s lunatic Ranvijay (Animal, 2023). So on, and so forth.

Fiction is not stranger than truth, but such instances can be found in other walks of life. Cue Rabri Devi, Gursharan Kaur, Menaka Gandhi, et al.

Activist Kamla Bhasin had called India’s affinity towards blaming women a “societal reflex, not an individual failing.” Historian Uma Chakravarti had once stated “Indian society is conditioned to blame women because it continues to view them through the lens of subservience and sacrifice. A woman who asserts herself or challenges norms is perceived as a disruptor.”

Can We Listen to the Athletes, Please?

In cricket’s case, an Anushka Sharma, or a Ritika Sajdeh is far from a disruptor. They have not asserted themselves on the cricketers – that is, their husbands – but have supported them.

At Perth in November, Kohli scored his first Test century in sixteen months. His words of acknowledgement were:

Anushka has been right by my side through thick and thin. She knows everything that goes on behind the scenes. She knows what goes on in the head when I’m not performing well. It (century) feels amazing. The fact that she is here makes it more special.

Virat Kohli, after scoring his century at Perth

Male cricketers have, on numerous occasions, voiced the importance of having their wives by their side amid distress.

Upon receiving a year-long ban for the infamous ‘Sandpapergate,’ David Warner might have retired from the sport, had it not been for his wife, Candice. He returned as Australia’s highest run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup, leading them to the title.

On being asked about what kept him going, he said:

The thing that kept me going was my wife and kids. My wife is my rock. She’s unbelievable. She’s determined, disciplined, selfless. She’s a strong woman. And she got me out of bed a lot in those sort of first sort of 12 weeks, and got me back running and training hard as I could.  We’re fortunate enough to have our families away with us, which is great.

David Warner

Despite being at the peak of his abilities, Travis Head – another Australian World Cup winner – has said:

I’ll probably make decisions in the future around family more. What drives me to play is probably more my family and my teammates. I’m not really interested in the individual stuff or where my career might go to, aspirations from an individual perspective. I love playing for Australia and I’ll continue to do that, but I think it’s important to support the family as well.

Travis Head

Steve Waugh had once commented:

When I travelled with my family, it felt like a piece of home came along. It made me feel complete and helped me focus better on my game.

Steve Waugh

Away from cricket, even a serial achiever like Novak Djokovic expressed his delight at having his wife, Jelena, cheering from the courtside at the ongoing Australian Open, after she missed the Serbian’s last few tournaments.

The phenomenon is not confined specifically to men.

Alex Morgan, former captain of the USA women’s football team, stated during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup:

Just knowing that it is kind of a shining light for the national team to have kids around because we're in this pressure situation, fighting for a spot on the team every single day we're in with the national team, and so just to bring in the human aspect of it and be able to get outside of soccer and thinking about soccer all the time while away on these trips with the national team and having our kids around, it kind of just makes everyone laugh more and think a little bit less about soccer, stress a little bit less. I'd say that everyone within the team and all the staff really do enjoy having the kids around.

Alex Morgan

Countrymate Serena Williams echoed her feelings, saying:

Having my daughter and husband around during tournaments has been a game-changer. It reminds me why I play and fuels my competitive spirit.

Serena Williams

Listen to the Researchers, at Least?

Research further substantiates the sentiments expressed by athletes.

Dr David Lavallee of Abertay University’s Department of Health, Sport and Wellbeing, mentions in his research how teams that allowed families to travel with the athletes had shown lesser stress, resulting in improved morale.

International Society of Sport Psychology’s study states Olympians who had their families traveling with them reported higher confidence level.

Personal anecdotes of athletes, aided by scientific research, should be satisfactory enough to refute the claims of travelling wives and children having any implications on the Indian cricket team.

Decision-Makers, Please Do Better

There can be multiple reasons behind Virat Kohli finding himself prey to deliveries outside the off-stump. Refer to The Quint’s technical deep-dive for better comprehension.

Spoiler alert? Anushka Sharma’s presence in Australia is categorically not among those reasons.

The BCCI has every right to scrutinise the coaching staff. They can dig into the most minute of cricketing reasons behind the defeat in Australia. In fact, technicalities aside, they can investigate how there leaks pertaining to the team are making rounds every day, to an extent a cricketer is having to debunk fake narratives on X.

But, the crackdown on wives and kids remains a nonsensical, preposterous and obsolescent decision.