Jasprit Bumrah’s exclusion from the Sri Lanka tour has raised questions about injury management and player fitness in Indian cricket. It is being reported that Bumrah was forced out of the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a lack of coordination between the Centre of Excellence (CoE)’s sports science and medical team and the selection committee.
According to a report by news agency PTI, the selection committee was initially informed that Bumrah would be available for the Test series starting August 15, but it was later discovered that his injury was more serious than expected. On Monday, a virtual meeting was held between top CoE officials, including VVS Laxman, and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar to discuss the players’ injury management system.
Is the ‘Return to Play’ protocol being followed?
Injuries are a natural process in sports, but the performance of the CoE’s sports science team, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, has not yet met expectations. The position of head of the sports science department has been vacant since the departure of Nitin Patel from the BCCI. In such a situation, the role of Dhananjay Kaushik, the interim sports science head of the CoE, who is running the High Performance Center in Bengaluru, is also under scrutiny. While his competence is not in question, questions are being raised about setting timelines for players’ return and the consistent adherence to the ‘Return to Play’ protocols.
Players Suffering Injuries One After Another
Questions are being raised about how the sports science team declared him fit despite his apparent overweight status in the case of fast bowler Harshit Rana. Subsequently, his hamstring injury resurfaced. Similarly, there were reports of a South Indian T20 specialist batsman being overweight upon his arrival in England.
Questions are also being raised about the frequent injuries to Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy. While the frequent hamstring strains of a young spinner like Sundar are a cause for concern, questions are being raised about whether Reddy was allowed to train separately with independent fast bowling coach Stephen Jones to improve his bowling speed. Did his attempt to suddenly accelerate from 120 kmph to mid-130 kmph cause his injury?
BCCI source raises questions about CoE
A BCCI official overseeing the CoE’s functioning told PTI on condition of anonymity, “The safest option is to drop a player, but the question is whether the CoE’s current sports science team is doing enough to get top players back on the field in time.”
He further said, “The selectors were assured that Bumrah would be available for at least one Test match. Now they have been informed that Sai Sudarshan, who is recovering from a leg injury, is batting for 75 minutes in the nets and is showing signs of a good recovery. But if it is later revealed that Sai will not be fit for the first Test against Sri Lanka, the selection process will be affected.”