The Board of Control for Cricket in India has forbidden the Indian cricket team from visiting casinos during its ongoing tour of Australia, The Indian Express reported. The players were informed of the decision made by BCCI President Shashank Manohar and Secretary Anurag Thakur during their bus ride from Brisbane to Melbourne, where the third One-Day International is being played.
The five-star hotel where the Indian team is put up in Melbourne houses one of the country’s most famous casinos. The board’s decision is aimed at avoiding the risk of the cricketers running into the “wrong people” or being spotted in locations that could be considered inappropriate, the report said. It is part of the BCCI’s efforts to improve the image of Indian cricket, following the spot-fixing and betting scandal that plagued the Indian Premier League and the reforms recommended by the Justice Lodha Committee.
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