Team India has learned some bitter lessons during the white-ball tour of England. In such a situation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to make a roadmap for the men's team keeping in mind the 2027 ICC World Cup. In this plan, maximum emphasis will be placed on injury prevention of players i.e. injury management. For this, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia has organized an important meeting, which will be attended by captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir, cricket head VVS Laxman and selection committee head Ajit Agarkar.
A major issue in the preparations for the World Cup to be held in South Africa during October-November in 2027 will be to manage the workload of the players. With the IPL set to take place at the end of another busy calendar in the summer, the team management want a thoughtfully designed program for workload management as they fear they could again lose players due to fitness issues at a crucial time in their World Cup preparations.
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ODI series will start from September
The India vs West Indies ODI series begins in late September, consisting of 3 ODIs at home against the West Indies, followed by 5 ODIs in New Zealand, and 3 ODIs each at home against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe early next year. Before and between these 50-over matches, there will also be T20Is against Afghanistan, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Apart from this, the team also has to play two important Test series, one in New Zealand, and then the 5-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home before the next IPL.
Talking about players' fitness
Given such a packed schedule, it is a big question whether the players will get enough time to work on the fitness program. It is learned that the team's strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux has already made plans keeping the World Cup in mind. The aim is that the players should be in their best fitness at the time of the tournament. That is why ODI captain Gill has also been called in the meeting, so that he can also present the players' point of view.
Players themselves also admit that due to their busy schedules, they do not get enough time to work on fitness. Let us tell you that most of the Indian players have already undergone fitness test in CoE (Center of Excellence) last month, and now they will be monitored regularly.
Also read: Hardik out, Samson-Bumrah in; Team India announced for Afghanistan series
Due to frequent injuries of players, BCCI wants everyone to come to the same opinion. Recently, many players got injured before important tours, due to which BCCI and CoE had to face criticism. Apart from this, players' confidence in CoE also seems to be low. The lack of coordination between the players, CoE and selection committee was also clearly visible, e.g.
The selection committee was not informed on time about Bumrah not being fit for the tour.
If workload management is not done properly from now on, then the same problem may arise again after the next IPL. The schedule after IPL is not decided yet, but Asia Cup is certain to be held in Bangladesh. With the increasing importance of ODIs, the team management wants to ensure that only the bowlers get rest when required and the rest always fields the best playing XI.
necklace review
India's T20 defeats in Ireland and England will also be reviewed in this meeting, because India does not want such a story to be repeated again, which could jeopardize the World Cup planning. India lost the 2-match T20I series 2-0 in Ireland in June, ending the reigning T20 World Champion team's almost three-year long unbeaten streak of 16 series.