BCCI Selectors Left Red-Faced Over Jasprit Bumrah's Unavailability, Centre of Excellence Faces Question

A glaring communication disconnect between the Centre of Excellence's (CoE) sports science and medical team and the senior national men's selection committee has come into sharp focus once again, with Jasprit Bumrah's absence from the Test series against Sri Lanka emerging as the latest example. It has been learnt that the national selection committee was initially made to believe that Bumrah would be available for the Sri Lanka series, starting August 15, before it was realised that his injury was more serious than expected.

There was a virtual meeting between the top officials of the CoE, including VVS Laxman, and the head of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, on Monday to discuss the injury management issue concerning centrally contracted players.

While injuries are part and parcel of sport, the performance of the sports science team at the state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence, with all modern amenities available, hasn't been something to write home about.

The BCCI has been without an official head of sports science since Nitin Patel's exit, and the department's recent functioning suggests it has done little to justify the vacuum at the top.

Hence, the focus is on CoE's interim head of sports science, Dhananjay Kaushik, who is currently running the show at the Bengaluru High Performance Centre.

While his credentials are beyond doubt, questions have emerged over the rehabilitation timelines being set for players and whether the prescribed 'Return to Play' protocols are being adhered to consistently in every case.

In the case of Harshit Rana, the question remains: how did the sports science team declare him fit when he was distinctly overweight, which once again led to the recurrence of his hamstring injury? There was a popular T20 specialist batter from one of the southern states who was reportedly "overweight" when he arrived in England. However, every India player reports to the CoE for mandatory tests before a tour. Why didn't the CoE flag that particular batter? Washington Sundar's fitness has also been pretty dodgy, and this is not the first time that he has had hamstring issues, which is a worrying trend for a young spinner. Did the sports science team take cognisance of Washington's repeated breakdowns? The question also arises as to whether Nitish Kumar Reddy got a green light from the CoE and BCCI to train independently under freelance fast-bowling coach Stefan Jones to increase his bowling speed from the late 120 kmph range to the mid-130s. Did the sudden increase in speed affect Reddy's hamstring?

"The safest thing is to rule a player out, but is the current sports science staff at the CoE doing enough to get top players back on the park on time? Selectors were assured that Bumrah would be available for at least one Test.

"Now they have been informed that Sai Sudharsan is batting in the nets for 75 minutes and is showing signs of a good recovery after suffering a foot injury. But what if selectors are later told that Sai won't be fit in time for the first Test against Sri Lanka?" a BCCI official tracking developments at the CoE told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Will Kamlesh Jain's performance be part of the BCCI review?

Another person whose role is being re-evaluated is Indian team physio Kamlesh Jain. The former Bengal Ranji Trophy team physio, who later worked at the NCA and with the India A team, has been with the national side for close to five years and is known to be very popular with the players.

But with a spate of injuries rocking the Indian team, it is understood that his role in the Team India set-up is also being reviewed.

A review meeting is on the cards following the England debacle, and it won't be surprising if Kamlesh Jain's role is also discussed and deliberated upon by the men who matter.

It is understood that head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Agarkar are waiting for the BCCI review meeting, which will also involve CoE Head of Cricket VVS Laxman and secretary Devajit Saikia (as convenor).

Now that Gambhir will be in Sri Lanka for the next three weeks, it is not known whether the proposed review meeting will take place physically or virtually.

There is also a question as to why the meeting wasn't held in July when both Gambhir and Agarkar were in India and available for a face-to-face discussion with the BCCI secretary

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)

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