A fragile fitness system? A hamstring injury has put Team India under the scanner, CoE

Nitish Kumar Reddy (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill has expressed concern over his team’s fitness standards following the ODI series defeat in England. A number of players who broke down before or during the streak have repeatedly left the team over the past year. Gill suggested that India might be missing a trick in managing the fitness of players.His comments highlighted the breakdown of a system built on coordination between the Indian team management and the Center of Excellence (CoE). Not too long ago, India had all its key players ready and available for the three ICC events in 2023, 2024 and 2025. TOI understands that some of the senior players are struggling to adapt to the new system after last year’s personnel reshuffle. The most worrying aspect was the recurrence of the hamstring injury.“The spate of recent hamstring injuries suggests that the players may not have been absolutely fit before taking the field. There seems to be a gap in communication between the CoE and the team management about the player’s condition and workload,” a BCCI source said. The Council of Europe has not appointed a chief medical officer since Nitin Patel left. “The SOPs drawn up in 2023 have not been updated. Data collection has become more robust, but action on it is slower,” the source added.

The players pushed without a clear plan

During Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach, the BCCI medical team, the CoE and the team management have drawn up year-long plans for individual players for major ICC events. The aim was to get each player to the required level of fitness in time for the next ICC tournament or Test series.The recurring injuries suffered by Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy did not go down well with the BCCI. Sources said Reddy was pushed to a speed of nearly 140 kmph to compensate for the injury prone Hardik Pandya.“Reddy has been working with England bowling coach Stefan Jones to increase his pace. But when he is with the team, it has to be a gradual process leading to the big action. Instead, he tries to mix faster whenever he is with the team,” the source said.“It is a little worrying how Harshit was released by the Council of Europe at the insistence of the team management when he was not up to his weight before the knee injury. These things require more care,” the source added.Jasprit Bumrah, for example, is a special case for the BCCI. Even with his history, he’s hardly pushed to reach high speeds a few months out from a tent assignment. His load gradually increases to reach the required level when the task comes.Barely responsible for Bengal’s attack in several Ranji Trophy campaigns, Akash Deep has not carried the burden of two Test matches on the bounce back from injury in last year’s IPL.“Akash suffered a hamstring injury between Tests in England last year. He was ruled out of domestic cricket again after that. He played until Bengal lost the Ranji semi-final and has been out with a stress fracture ever since. Coe needs to see why these things happen,” the source said. “It needs to be seen whether the preventive measures against injuries are properly implemented.As for Gill, he too struggled with hamstrings in the recent ODI series in England after crossing 50 in two matches.

Little support between tasks

Several players are understood to be concerned about limited communication from the BCCI medical team when they are not traveling with the national side.“There are very few players of all formats these days. Most players have decent breaks between international assignments. If they are not rehabbing at the CoE, they are left to fend for themselves. There is little communication,” the source said.The latest example is Rohit Sharma’s hamstring problem during the IPL. As the Mumbai Indians management struggled to identify the problem for almost a month, Rohit took the initiative to look into the records in the BCCI database that tracked him when he played all three formats.The team management is also worried about Washington Sundar falling repeatedly. It is clear that although Reddy, Rana and Washington are young, they spend a significant amount of time with physios recovering from injuries.“Apart from Washington, who has always had fitness issues, it is worrying to see Sanju Samson gaining weight so easily. It is a result of a loophole in the system. Because of these fitness issues, the overall standard of the field has gone down,” the source said.“The players require a more hands-on empathetic approach from the medical team. Currently, most seasoned international cricketers are reluctant to seek CoE intervention. They prefer to train on their own arrangements elsewhere. This needs to be addressed,” the source added.