Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Players not machines, says Laxman defending BCCI centre
In cricket, players sometimes get hurt and need time to get better.
India's cricket board has a special place in Bengaluru called the Centre of Excellence where injured players go to heal.
The person in charge there is VVS Laxman, who used to be a famous cricketer himself.
Some people said the centre was not helping players recover fast enough.
Laxman said it is not fair to blame the centre because people are not machines.
Human bodies heal at their own speed, he explained.
He said getting hurt is a normal part of playing top-level cricket.
Some hurt players, like Jasprit Bumrah, are getting better at the centre.
The board can pick a player for a match only if he passes a fitness test in time.
That is why some players are chosen 'subject to fitness' for the Sri Lanka Tests.
VVS Laxman rejected the term 'blame' for slow player recoveries, saying cricketers are not 'machines' who always meet recuperation timelines.
He said coordination between the Centre of Excellence, the team management of both men's and women's teams, and the SSM staff is 'brilliant' and communication is seamless.
Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and B Sai Sudharsan are among players currently recuperating from injuries at the CoE.
Laxman downplayed the large pool of injuries, saying injuries are 'part and parcel' of elite sport, especially with the modern generation playing more cricket.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said selection meetings are held three to four weeks before departure, so players are given a 'subject to fitness' asterisk rather than being outrightly rejected, allowing them to be cleared within 21-28 days.
- Who
- VVS Laxman, chief of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, speaking alongside BCCI officials including president Mithun Manhas and secretary Devajit Saikia
- What
- Defended the Centre of Excellence against blame for slow player recoveries, called injuries part and parcel of elite cricket, and explained the 'subject to fitness' selection process
- When
- Sunday, August 9
- Where
- Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru
- Why
- To address mounting injury concerns in the senior men's and women's teams and explain why players like Bumrah and Sudharsan are selected 'subject to fitness' for the Sri Lanka Test series
Critics concerned about injuries
BCCI and Laxman defend CoE
Blame for slow recovery
Critics concerned about injuries
Critics blame the Centre of Excellence for slow player recoveries and the mounting injury list.
BCCI and Laxman defend CoE
Laxman rejected the term 'blame', saying players are not machines and recovery timelines cannot always be met.
Scale of the injury problem
Critics concerned about injuries
A large pool of players getting consistently injured is seen as a massive concern.
BCCI and Laxman defend CoE
Laxman downplayed it, saying injuries are part and parcel of elite sport, especially with the modern generation playing more cricket.
'Subject to fitness' selections
Critics concerned about injuries
Selecting players who may not be fit by match time raises questions about squad readiness.
BCCI and Laxman defend CoE
BCCI says the asterisk keeps fitness reporting and selection transparent and does not deprive players of a chance to be picked within 21-28 days.
- CoE chief
- VVS Laxman
- Location
- Centre of Excellence, spread over nearly 40 acres on the outskirts of Bengaluru
- Players rehabbing at CoE
- Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, B Sai Sudharsan
- Upcoming series
- Two-game Test series against Sri Lanka
- Selection meetings
- Held at least three to four weeks before the team departs
- 'Subject to fitness' asterisk
- Player is under a rehabilitation programme and can be picked if fitness is cleared within 21-28 days
- BCCI officials present
- President Mithun Manhas, secretary Devajit Saikia, treasurer Raghuram Bhatt, joint secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia
