'They play their second-team players' - Aakash Chopra warns BCCI on maintaining quality of mandatory SENA warm-up matches

The BCCI has instructed its FTP personnel to schedule international fixtures with proper rest periods and acclimatisation or friendly matches before major series in SENA countries. This directive emerged from a key meeting held in Mumbai on Thursday, attended by board secretary Devaijit Saikia, Chief of Excellence VVS Laxman, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill and T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer.

The move reflects the board's commitment to better prepare the Indian team for challenging conditions in South Africa, Australia, England and New Zealand.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has backed the BCCI's latest plan for SENA tours, recognising that the Men in Blue have struggled in recent times in these countries. India remain winless in their last two Test series in SENA nations, drawing against England and losing 4-1 against Australia. Chopra highlighted that warm-up games would provide better preparation than shadow A-team tours ahead of the series.

"If you are going to SENA countries, there will be mandatory warm-up games. There was an era when the England tour used to last the entire summer. It was a four-month tour where you played matches against county teams," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Why Chopra backs the BCCI's mandatory warm-up plan

Chopra recognises the theoretical merit of the BCCI's approach but has raised a significant practical concern about implementing the policy effectively. During the era he referenced, county teams fielded their strongest squads and posed genuine competitive challenges to touring sides. The situation has changed markedly in modern county cricket, where tour matches are often treated as secondary fixtures.

"Theoretically, it isn’t wrong, but I don’t know how to maintain the quality of those games. I don’t have the answer for that at the moment because, of the time I am talking about, the teams used to be good and they used to almost beat us," Chopra added.

The former opener pointed out that county sides now approach tour matches differently than they did in the past. Rather than fielding their best players, they often use these fixtures as opportunities to rest key personnel or provide game time to fringe squad members. This shift in approach undermines the value of warm-up matches as genuine preparation for challenging Test conditions.

"Now they play their second-team players, saying the match has no significance. So that one thing is still missing. The quality will have to be maintained a little," Chopra said.

A BCCI official outlined the board's commitment to implementing the new policy across all future tours to SENA nations. The instruction to FTP personnel emphasises the importance of balancing player rest with meaningful preparation through competitive fixtures. Without county teams committing to field competitive squads, the quality of preparation could fall short of what the Indian team requires to compete effectively in SENA conditions.