3 weeks ago
Saikia to Inspect Centre of Excellence Amid Injury Crisis
The Indian cricket team has a lot of injured players right now, and the team bosses want to find out why.
The person who runs cricket for India, Devajit Saikia, is going to Bengaluru on Sunday.
He will meet VVS Laxman, who is in charge of cricket, at the Centre of Excellence.
That is the special place where hurt players go to get better.
Big stars like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and many others are resting and getting treatment there.
Some people think players are being sent back to play before they are fully healed.
Others think the doctors are being extra careful and keeping players out for longer.
There is also no one in charge of the sports science team right now, which makes things harder.
The meeting is to make sure players only come back when they are really ready to play again.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will meet Head of Cricket VVS Laxman on Sunday to review the rehabilitation programme at the Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru.
Around 10 players, including Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy and Riyan Parag, are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the COE.
India will miss Bumrah (knee swelling), B Sai Sudharsan (left foot big toe), Harshit Rana (hamstring), Nitish Kumar Reddy (hamstring) and Washington Sundar (quadriceps), while Akash Deep has been out longest with a lower back stress fracture.
The COE Sports Science team has been without a permanent head since Nitin Patel's resignation in early 2025 (one report says March 2025) and is said to be overworked.
The selection committee was reportedly led to believe Bumrah and Sudharsan would be available for at least one of the two Tests against Sri Lanka, but both were ruled out, raising concerns over injury timelines and communication with the COE.
- Who
- BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and Head of Cricket VVS Laxman; head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar may join online.
- What
- A review of the rehabilitation and injury-management programme at the Centre of Excellence amid a spate of injuries to Indian players.
- Where
- Centre of Excellence (COE), Bengaluru.
- When
- Sunday, when the Saikia-Laxman meeting is scheduled.
- Why
- Because around 10 players, including Jasprit Bumrah, are undergoing rehabilitation, and there are concerns about return-to-play timelines and communication between the COE and the selection committee.
Selection committee / team management view
COE medical team view
Return timelines for injured players
Selection committee / team management view
The selection committee was initially made to believe Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan would be available for at least one of the two Tests against Sri Lanka; both were ruled out at the last moment, forcing selectors to look for replacements.
COE medical team view
COE experts decided to exercise caution looking at the bigger picture, as Bumrah's knee still has water retention post-impact and Sudharsan's big toe pain persists despite daily batting.
Fitness standards and player release
Selection committee / team management view
The selection committee is unhappy that Harshit Rana reached England distinctly overweight and that some players were reportedly released before ticking all fitness boxes.
COE medical team view
The COE manages rehabilitation timelines and has reportedly not always been in sync with the selection committee over injury management and player release decisions.
Key facts
- Organization
- BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)
- Meeting
- Devajit Saikia with VVS Laxman, scheduled for Sunday
- Location
- Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru
- Players in rehabilitation
- Around 10, including Bumrah, Pandya, N K Reddy, Sudharsan, Rana, Sundar, Chakravarthy, Akash Deep, Ashok Sharma and Riyan Parag
- Key injuries
- Bumrah (knee swelling), Sudharsan (left foot big toe), Rana (hamstring), N K Reddy (hamstring), Sundar (quadriceps)
- Longest absence
- Akash Deep, lower back stress fracture, out since Bengal's Ranji Trophy semi-final defeat
- Sports Science lead
- Vacant since Nitin Patel's resignation (early 2025; one report says March 2025)
- Reported concerns
- Harshit Rana reached England distinctly overweight; doubts over COE-selector communication and player release before all fitness boxes were ticked
Quotes
BCCI source in the know
Anonymous BCCI insider
“Yes, secretary Saikia will be in Bengaluru to take a stock of the situation along with VVS Laxman. There is a meeting scheduled between the two. It is not known whether head coach of national team Gautam Gambhir or chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar will join online or not. It will be interesting if both Saikia and Laxman can front up and answer a few media queries with so many conjectures.”
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Sources
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