BCCI Steps In As India’s Injury Crisis Deepens; Meeting Locked In Before IND Vs SL Tests

Devajit Saikia and Gautam Gambhir [Source: AFP]

India’s injury list is getting longer at a time when the team needs its best players available. With several first-choice players currently recovering at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is now looking closely at how injuries are being managed and how quickly players are being cleared to return.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is set to meet VVS Laxman, the Head of Cricket, on Sunday (August 9) to take stock of the rehabilitation programme at the CoE just before the much-awaited IND vs SL Test series.

The meeting comes after a series of fitness setbacks involving players from both the Test and white-ball setups.

BCCI's Devajit Saikia To Meet VVS Laxman Before IND Vs SL Tests

Devajit Saikia's meeting with VVS Laxman comes at a time when the CoE has become one of the most important places in Indian cricket.

Several players who were expected to be available for India's upcoming IND Vs SL Tests are instead undergoing rehabilitation in Bengaluru.

Jasprit Bumrah, B Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are among the players currently dealing with injuries, while Akash Deep has been sidelined for an extended period with a lower-back stress fracture. 

Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Prince Yadav are also at the CoE.

A BCCI source familiar with the developments told PTI that Saikia will travel to Bengaluru and hold a meeting with Laxman to assess the situation before the IND Vs SL Tests.

"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," the source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The timing of the meeting is significant because the injury situation has already started affecting India's ability to select its strongest possible XI.

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What Are The Concerns That CoE Needs To Address?

The biggest concern for the BCCI is not simply the number of injuries. It is whether the communication between the national team, selectors and the CoE is working properly.

There are growing suggestions that the selection committee and the CoE have not always been on the same page regarding injury timelines. In some cases, players have reportedly been released before completing every requirement needed for a full return.

The Harshit Rana situation has added another layer to the concern. Rana reached England carrying weight issues, something that reportedly did not sit well with the selection committee.

There was also uncertainty surrounding the availability of Bumrah and Sudharsan. The selectors were initially under the impression that both players could potentially be available for at least one of India's two Tests. However, the situation changed once the medical assessments were completed.

Bumrah's knee developed water retention following an impact injury, meaning that his recovery required more time. Sudharsan, meanwhile, had been batting for around 75 minutes a day during his rehabilitation, but the pain in his big toe continued.

Both cases underline the difficult balance the CoE has to maintain. A player can appear capable of batting or bowling in controlled training, but that does not necessarily mean he is ready for the physical demands of international cricket.

Nitish Reddy's case is another example. The all-rounder attempted to increase his bowling pace by around 7-8 kmph, but the additional workload eventually took a toll on his hamstring and quadriceps.

The BCCI therefore has more than rehabilitation reports to assess. It needs to look at how injuries are being communicated, how fitness clearances are being issued and whether players are returning to competitive cricket at the right stage of their recovery.

CoE Becoming A Concern For Team India?

India's injury problems have raised a larger question about the country's fitness and workload-management system.

The current situation is particularly striking because the CoE was established to provide players with a centralised, sophisticated system for rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, sports science and injury management.

Yet, in 2026, the Indian team is repeatedly finding itself without key players. Earlier, fitness and workload management were largely built around the individual player.

A fast bowler returning from an injury, for example, could have his bowling workload gradually increased based on his physical response. Similarly, players who played multiple formats could have their workload adjusted depending on the demands of the upcoming schedule.

Fitness assessments were also used more as checkpoints during rehabilitation and selection rather than as a constant source of pressure on players.

Injury Crisis And Workload Management Not Meeting The Standards

The current injury crisis has forced the BCCI to reconsider how players are assessed. With a large number of players now spending time at the CoE, the focus is shifting towards stricter and more standardised fitness benchmarks.

Reports have suggested that the BCCI is considering tougher parameters, including benchmarks such as the Bronco and 2km tests, with fewer individual exemptions. But stricter benchmarks alone may not solve the problem.

The bigger question is whether fitness testing and workload management are being integrated properly.

A player can pass a fitness test and still be vulnerable to injury if his workload is increased too quickly. Likewise, a player can fall short of a particular benchmark while still being physically capable of performing his specific role at a high level. 

This is why the CoE's decision-making process is now under greater scrutiny and will need Saikia’s intervention for the betterment of team India.

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