BCCI to assess India's injury concerns; head physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain under scanner

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to assess the Indian team's injury concerns in the coming weeks. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that the current team management will provide feedback on physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain, who has been with the side since taking over from Nitin Patel in 2022. India have been grappling with injuries and frequent breakdowns in the past few months, and Jasprit is the latest addition to the growing list. Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were also unavailable for selection due to their respective injuries. Washington Sundar is out of the first Test and remains highly doubtful for the second. Sai Sudharsan has also been picked in the squad, subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE). Multiple discussions on the subject took place during the recent white-ball series in England, and both captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir are displeased with the frequent breakdowns. It has been a frustrating period for both the captain and coach, as they have been forced to play without their first-choice squad due to availability issues. "It becomes a little difficult when you come to the ground in the morning and find out that a player has a niggle. Then it's almost like asking whether you want to take a chance. If a player is only 80% fit and you are playing with five bowlers, and that player comes off after bowling five overs, then who will bowl? This is difficult. So, as a group, we need to improve our fitness and all those things," Gill had said after the Lord's defeat last month.

Many fingers have been pointed at the CoE over these frequent injury concerns, including at head physiotherapist Kamlesh. Many senior players are seeking opinions from specialists outside the BCCI setup, and some have even found the transition from former Strength and Conditioning Coach Soham Desai to Adrian Le Roux less than ideal. "The role of head physio Kamlesh Jain is under the scanner, as is that of the experts at the CoE. These injury concerns aren't ideal because both the captain and coach have regularly struggled to field a full-strength Playing XI. How can one think about the right playing combination when even the 15 isn't their first choice?" questioned a source tracking developments. "There is so much competition for each spot that a player is expected to push his body. This is where the support staff and the CoE need to step in. They need to raise the red flags and not rush players back into action. The situation is now becoming a bit embarrassing, and every concerned person needs to be held accountable.

Was Nitish Reddy 100% fit when he played the third ODI against Afghanistan? Was Harshit rushed back? These are some very valid questions that require explanations," added the source. India are staring at a packed calendar, starting with the two Tests against Sri Lanka, and the end of that series could force the BCCI to explore different names for the positions of head physiotherapist and even team doctor. Kamlesh Jain and Dr Rizwan Khan currently occupy those two positions.