'Business-class' relief for Indian cricketers

NEW DELHI: The 'harried' Indian cricketers, who have been facing problems travelling from home to the assembling point (camp) or returning home after the end of a series, could finally breathe easy as the BCCI is likely to upgrade their domestic air travel from economy to business class.

Sources said the players, including captain Virat Kohli, took up the issue with BCCI on how they often suffer while travelling in economy class.

It is learnt that the team management has brought to light the fact that players' privacy and security is often breached by the co-passengers in the economy class. Fans tend to encroach upon the players' space and bother them for selfies, autographs etc.


There are times when the cricketers are tired after a hectic series and would look forward to a hassle-free travel which may not be possible in economy class. Some tall cricketers like Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami and Ishant Sharma often struggle for leg-space in the economy section. Even waiting for their luggage, the cricketers are often mobbed inside the airport complex.

BCCI's acting president CK Khanna had also proposed this upgrade through a letter to his BCCI colleagues to speed up the process. When TOI spoke to Khanna, he confirmed sending such a proposal. “We should re-consider this and take a call on it,” he said.