Following the decision of newly appointed head coach Anil Kumble to punish late-comers with a $50 fine, Indian fast bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has been tasked with chairing the committee which will be responsible for enforcing the rule.
Team-mates Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan have also been roped into the three-member panel to assist the seam bowler. The funds collected from the move would be utilized for philanthropic purposes.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar confirmed, “We have a Fine Committee now. It relates to punctuality and other rules which have been framed (for the players). If players don't arrive on time and if there is any other related issues (indiscipline), they have to pay fines. I am the chairman, (Cheteshwar) Pujara will collect the fines and Shikhar (Dhawan) will take the appeals of those who feel they’ve been fined wrongly.”
He added, “We’ve had a trial run so far, but the committee’s work actually started yesterday. No one has been fined yet. It’s difficult to say who will give the most fines, it depends on punctuality and a lot of other things.“
The Indians are currently preparing hard for the upcoming four-match Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean. With the tour being Kumble’s maiden assignment in the hot seat, he is doing everything to instill an extra amount of discipline and punctuality to his troops.
The heartening aspect behind this seemingly strict resolution is that the proceeds will go to charity. Bhuvneshwar divulged, “Whatever we collect, it will go to charity. We not yet decided which charity and so on, but that will be decided soon.”
Aside from the ‘fine committee’, Kumble has introduced another fascinating system called the ‘buddy programme’ wherein every batsman will be paired with a bowler or vice versa in order to develop all-round players within the group.
Impressed by the veteran's efforts to inculcate a solid regimen, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had earlier quipped, “He has brought in a lot of meticulousness among the group. The batsmen get out to the nets at the perfect time for a start and that’s not been going around for some time.”
Meanwhile, the first Test kick starts at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua from the 21st onwards.
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