Archive · 10 Aug 2026
VVS Laxman defends CoE, urges patience on recovery timelines
Some of India's best cricket players got hurt and are healing at a special training place called the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Some people were upset and said the centre was not doing its job because the players were getting better slowly.
A famous former player named VVS Laxman, who is in charge of the centre, said that is not fair.
He explained that the centre does many things, not just help players heal.
He said the people there talk to the team leaders and sports doctors all the time, so everything is well coordinated.
He also said recovery times are only guesses, because the human body is not a machine and every body heals at its own speed.
He told reporters that people should not worry too much, because getting hurt is a normal part of playing sports at the highest level.
He believes that if a player is trying their hardest, injuries sometimes just happen.
He also said that some players, like Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan, were picked for the Sri Lanka tour only if they passed fitness tests.
VVS Laxman defended the BCCI Centre of Excellence amid criticism over the slow recovery of injured Indian players.
Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah are recovering and training at the COE in Bengaluru.
Laxman said the COE is not just a rehab centre and has bigger roles in helping cricketers achieve excellence.
He urged patience, saying guidelines are based on expectations but the human body is not a machine and timelines will not always be met.
Laxman said injuries are part and parcel of elite sport and noted Bumrah and Sudharsan's Sri Lanka selection was subject to fitness clearance.
- Who
- VVS Laxman, chief of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, and injured Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah.
- What
- Laxman defended the COE against criticism over slow player recovery, urged patience on recovery timelines and said injuries are part of elite sport.
- When
- Sunday, when Laxman spoke to the media at the COE.
- Where
- At the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
- Why
- Criticism mounted because the players' slow healing left them unavailable for key tournaments and the ongoing Sri Lanka tour.
Critics of the COE
BCCI Centre of Excellence management
Recovery timelines
Critics of the COE
The COE is failing to help injured players recover on time, leaving key athletes unavailable for important tournaments and the Sri Lanka tour.
BCCI Centre of Excellence management
Guidelines and timelines are based on expectations, but the human body is not a machine, so recovery timelines will not always be met and patience is needed.
COE's role and accountability
Critics of the COE
The slow healing of several star players reflects the COE's inability to do its rehabilitation job effectively.
BCCI Centre of Excellence management
The COE is not just a rehab centre and has bigger roles; using the term 'blame' unfairly makes someone a scapegoat, and coordination with team management is seamless.
- Speaker
- VVS Laxman, former India cricketer and COE Chief
- Organization
- BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru
- Injured players
- Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan, Jasprit Bumrah
- Ruled out
- Bumrah, Sundar and Sudharsan ruled out of the Sri Lanka tour; Bumrah and Sudharsan's selection was subject to fitness
- Key quote
- "It's the human body. It is not a machine where the timelines will always be met."
- Coordination
- Seamless communication between COE, team management of men's and women's teams, and SSM staff
- Fitness process
- Selectors request fitness reports from COE, which are sent to the selection committee, head coaches and BCCI
- Vacancy
- No replacement found for Nitin Patel, former BCCI sports science and medicine head who left in March 2025
