It is not the first time that India’s injury management system has been questioned. The system faces another challenge after several players faced fitness problems, and there were doubts about the decision-making of the BCCI regarding medical and workload management.
After several star players faced injuries this month, the question was raised whether communication between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Center of Excellence (CoE), medical professionals, and the management is not as effective as is claimed.

Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill made comments about the team’s fitness matters and the workload after the ODI series against England ended in defeat due to injuries. Now it is being suggested that the problem of player injuries may be due to a greater issue than individual cases.

India Workload Management Under the Spotlight

According to a report by The Times of India, the BCCI’s Center of Excellence has been without a head of medical services ever since Nitin Patel left the post.

The article further states that standard operating procedures put in place by the BCCI in 2023 continue to remain unchanged despite fresh concerns about rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols.

The most talked-about case regarding the BCCI’s handling of rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols involves all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. As per the report, the young talent was allegedly pushed to gradually scale up his bowling speed to 140 kmph, as the national team setup looks to produce another pace bowling all-rounder in the likes of Hardik Pandya. However, as per sources within the report, the load management on the 25-year-old was apparently rushed.

“Reddy was working with English bowling coach Stefan Jones to build up his pace.

That needs to be a measured process,” one source said.

The report also mentions that fast bowler Harshit Rana’s rehab has also been a matter of concern within the BCCI. As per the report, Rana was cleared to resume competitive cricket before he regained his match fitness, after knee surgery. As per the source, the lack of caution displayed by the BCCI has led to criticism from several quarters.
“These things need to be handled with a lot more care,” one BCCI source said.

Washington Sundar’s case has also allegedly become a subject of debate within the BCCI. As per the report, the all-rounder was apparently pushed to join the T20 World Cup squad ahead of his domestic season in Bengal.

This resulted in Sundar being unavailable for nearly ten days before he was fit enough to play for India.

According to the report, Akash Deep’s continuous injury problems have been a matter of concern for the BCCI as the pacer was forced to miss India’s Test series in England. After recovering from an injury, the pace bowler was back in action for the Bengal team, before he was forced to sit out again. According to the article, the Center of Excellence would have to review its workload management policies concerning injuries and player fitness.

Jasprit Bumrah, the gold standard

As per the report, Jasprit Bumrah’s rehabilitation process has become the gold standard for other bowlers.

As one of the most consistent fast bowlers in the game, the right-arm pacer regularly goes through a rigorous rehab program which involves gradually increasing the strain on his body in the build-up to a significant tournament. According to the report, Bumrah’s management has been the best example of load management as the bowler has been able to stay fit for the most part of his career. Instead of asking Bumrah to bowl at his absolute best all the time, the decision has been made to manage his workload to keep him fit for the most important matches.

Communication and Trust Become Key Talking Points

In addition to player injuries, the report also underlines the lack of communication between the BCCI medical department and the players once they are out of the national set-up. With limited all-format players these days, many cricketers tend to spend more time with their IPL franchises, state associations or on personal training. As per the report, the players feel that they do not get adequate medical support unless they go through the rehab process at the Center of Excellence.

According to the report, former India captain Rohit Sharma, had to manually look out for his personal data from the BCCI database as his IPL franchise had no idea regarding the cause of injury to his hamstring.

According to the report, it has been revealed that many senior players these days tend to avoid rehabilitation at the CoE and instead go for private treatment. The veteran players feel that it would be better if they utilize the services of their personal trainers and doctors rather than going for BCCI-approved physiotherapists and strength coaches.

“Most senior international players are unwilling to utilize the resources at CoE. They rather choose to be at their own devices and take care of their fitness needs independently” (According to an unnamed source, as reported in The Times of India)

If the allegations leveled against the BCCI are true, it can be said that mending the relationship with the players and making them trust the decision of the governing body once again might be the need of the hour for Indian cricket.

As of now, the BCCI has not issued any official comments regarding the report. Since the report cites various unnamed sources, no official clarification or response has come out formally from the governing body regarding the alleged rift between the players, medical staff and the management.

Indian team management would perhaps want to mend the relationship with the players and make them trust the system if the allegations leveled against them are true.