‘It’s an education…’: Ravi Shastri claims Indian players should be allowed to…

As of now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) restricts active Indian players to partake in foreign T20 leagues- and players can only appear in overseas leagues after they retire from all forms of domestic and international formats. A player is also needed to submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the BCCI.

“India is a massive country, not everyone gets an opportunity to play, not everyone can make it. So, why stop a guy (from playing in the Big Bash League) if he can’t make it to the Test side, get a level C or level D contract?” Shastri said on the Willow Talk podcast.

“That exposure will help him when he comes back, like the IPL has helped so many young players as they rub shoulders with top class players,” he added.

Ravi Shastri believes that as the players share the dressing room with a number of international cricketers, they will also get to learn a lot of valuable information from former legends- who might be a part of their coaching staff.

“They learn to handle pressure. Additionally, they get to rub shoulders with big international stars like (Ricky) Ponting and (Stephen) Fleming and international players. It’s an education—and for me, there’s no better education than going overseas. That exposure is terrific, not just in cricketing terms but in understanding different cultures and methods. You learn so many things—a West Indian training method will be different from an Australian one,” Shastri concluded.