Virat Kohli's dismal performance in the latest Test series against England being blamed on girlfriend Anushka Sharma's presence on the tour, has been highly debated. Former Indian cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi says he feels 'disgusted' at this 'primitive thought'. “We are all set to make ourselves look like a bunch of idiots. The foreign media and players must be having a field day laughing over such statements. How can wives be blamed for a poor show by players? This is such disgusting primitive thought; most unwanted and irresponsible statement I have heard. Come on, for heaven's sake, we are in the 21st century and here we are blaming the wives and girlfriends? Sad!“ he says.
Former India captain Kapil Dev says players should not be expected to live for months without meeting their partners. Says Kapil, “Wives and girlfriends cannot be blamed for a loss. I don't know today's cricket culture, so it won't be correct for me to comment on somebody else's opinion. But I can speak about our times. I think wives or girlfriends should accompany players on tours, but not in the first half. I always believed that.“ Kapil adds, “For example, if a tour is for three months, the wives and girlfriends shouldn't be there for the first month, because that's the time when the team should stay together, eat together, spend time together, so that they get to know each other and bond better.When we used to go to England, Australia and West Indies to play for two-three months, we used to decide this ourselves. In the second half, they must come, because you can't expect us not to meet our wives or them not to meet us for three months. We used to travel for 10 months in a year and not getting to meet your wives... that's unfair. And now, you have lost a series; that does not mean you blame the wives and girlfriends. But it's for the Board to decide.“

Shuttler Chetan Anand, who often travels with his wife on tours, scoffs at this suggestion, saying, “This is the most unreasonable excuse I have ever heard. Instead of talking about what actually went wrong, in perhaps planning and strategy, officials are busy blaming the wives and girlfriends! I travel with my wife, and I can say she isn't a distraction. We are professional sportspeople and I am sure cricketers know their responsibilities. If they have lost a series, it means the team and performance have to be evaluated and not the wives or girlfriends' presence during the tour.“

Earlier, talking about India's 3-1 loss to England, a top BCCI official had reportedly stated, “Even if players wanted to focus on cricket, their wives were a big distraction. When some wanted to go to the gym or do nets, they couldn't do so because their wives wanted to explore the city .“

Bedi further says that the least someone could have done is to act a little more responsibly. “It just looks like a way to hide the poor planning and preparation. If a player did defy team discipline, he can be hauled up. But the way things are being put, it seems it's wrong for a player to have a wife or a girlfriend. My wife has accompanied me on tours when I played, and she was never a distraction. Sportspeople keep travelling and have very little time to spend with family. But if wives and girlfriends are banned or hauled up for players not performing on the field, it's really very stupid and like I said, primitive.“ Bedi asserts that the need of the hour is to “not shatter the players' confidence. It's a game. You win some, you lose some. Own it up and stay quiet. And don't act like idiots in pointing fingers at wives and girlfriends. They are not the distractions.“

Meanwhile, the topic has ceated a buzz on social media. Kavitha Krishnan, secretary of AIPWA (All India Progressive Women Association), posted online, “Team India manager says girlfriends on tour 'not our culture'. Wives, GFs blamed for defeat, fatwa on their travel to matches. Sports sexism!“ (sic)