New Delhi: India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill expressed concern over his team’s fitness after the ODI series defeat in England. Many pre-season or postseason players have left the team in limbo over the past year. Gill also pointed out that India may lack a mechanism to regulate physical activity.His comments have led to disruption of the system based on cooperation between the Indian team management and the Center of Excellence (CoE). Not too long ago, India had all their key players fit and available for the three ICC events in 2023, 2024 and 2025. TOI understands that some of the top players are struggling to adapt to the new system after the personnel changes last year. The main concern has been the recurrence of the hamstring injury.“The speed of recent hamstring injuries shows that the players may not be fit before entering the field. It seems that there is a difference between the players and the amount of work between the CoE and the team managers, “a. BCCI said the source. The CoE has not appointed a chief of medical staff since Nitin Patel’s departure. “There have been no SOP changes made in 2023. Data collection has been strong, but action has been slow,” the source added.
The players pushed without a clear plan
During Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach, the BCCI’s medical team, CoE and team management created year-long pathways for each player at major ICC events. The aim was to get each player to the level required to be fit in time for the next ICC tournament or marquee Test series.The repeated injuries to Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy did not go down well with the BCCI. Sources said Reddy was pushed to the plate at close to 140kmph to compensate the injured. Hardik Pandya.“Reddy has worked with English bowling coach Stefan Jones to increase his pace. But this should be done slowly when he is with the team leading up to the big event. Instead, he is forcing himself to bowl faster every time he is with the team,” said the source.“It’s a little bit about how Harshit was cleared by the CoE on the insistence of the team management when he didn’t reach his weight before injuring his knee. These things need more attention,” the source added.Jasprit Bumrah, for example, is a particular problem for the BCCI. Even with his reputation, he’s not forced to hit a high speed in months away from a marquee job. Its loads are gradually increased to reach the required level when the job is done.Akash Deep, who had been on the brink of collapse, has taken charge of Bengal’s pace attack in several Ranji Trophy campaigns, having been unable to last two Test matches since suffering an injury in last year’s IPL.“Akash ruptured his hamstring in the middle of Tests in England last year. He was also ruled out of domestic cricket. He played until Bengal lost the Ranji game and has been suffering from stress ever since. Coe needs to see why these things are happening,” the source said. “It should be seen if the injury prevention measures are being used properly.But Gill also suffered a hamstring strain in the recent ODI series in England after passing 50 in two matches.
Less help between jobs
It has been reported that several players are worried about the lack of communication from the BCCI medical team while they are not traveling with the national side.“These days, there are very few players. Most players get a good break between international duties. If they are not renewing at the CoE, they are left alone. There is little communication,” said the source.The most recent example is Rohit Sharma’s plight during the IPL. As the Mumbai Indians management struggled to figure out the matter for almost a month, Rohit took the initiative and applied for records in the BCCI database, which tracked him when he played in all three formats.The management of the team is also concerned about Washington Sundar falling again and again. It is understood that although Reddy, Rana and Washington are young, they spend a lot of time with physios recovering from injuries.“Apart from Washington, who has always had a fitness problem, it’s about seeing Sanju Samson gain weight easily. It’s because of the difference in the system. The whole culture of the game has gone down because of this,” said the source.“These players need a more compassionate approach from the medical community. At present, many cricketers around the world are hesitant to seek the intervention of the CoE. They prefer to train in their own system elsewhere. This needs to be addressed,” the source added.
