The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to part ways with another member of the support staff right ahead of Asia Cup 2025, according to a report in the Indian Express.
Team India's masseur Rajeev Kumar sacked
This move comes just days after the announcement of the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025, which is set to start from September 9. Since Gambhir's appointment, the BCCI has released several support staff members, including Abhishek Nayar, Arun Kanade, and Soham Desai. The board was forced to rehire fielding coach T Dilip after failing to find a suitable replacement. Soham Desai had also rejected a contract extension.
The latest member to be removed is Rajeev Kumar, who has served as the team's masseur for nearly 15 years. Kumar was known for having an excellent rapport with the players, particularly the fast bowlers. A new masseur has been brought in to replace him, following a recommendation from the team management.
“The Indian board has decided to discontinue with Rajeev’s services. The Indian team had already appointed a masseur, who was recommended by team management before,” a source in the board said, as quoted by the Indian Express.
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During matches, Rajeev Kumar was a familiar sight, often seen walking along the boundary ropes with a warm smile. At the end of a day's play, he was the first person players would seek out to help them relax their stiff and aching muscles. After these sessions, he and other staff would mix energy drinks for the team.
Rajeev was also part of the support staff positioned at the four corners of the field during fielding, helping to retrieve balls that had crossed the boundary. This ensured that fielders stayed fresh and the team maintained its over rate. Known for his excellent rapport with most of the players, he had a particularly close relationship with the seamers, whose post-spell recovery he would promptly attend to.
Meanwhile, India's squad for the Asia Cup has been announced. The biggest surprise from the squad selection was the omission of star batsman Shreyas Iyer, despite his stellar recent form.
India's Asia Cup squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal