In a series of unfortunate updates, India's preparations for the upcoming two-match Test series in Sri Lanka have been disrupted by several injury concerns, with several regular players of the squad currently unavailable. Amid questions surrounding the recurring injury setbacks, senior BCCI officials addressed the situation on Sunday, with Centre of Excellence (CoE) chief VVS Laxman among those speaking about the issue.
Team India's persistent injury concerns
With questions being raised over the time by several players to achieve full fitness, Laxman came forward to justify the CoE's role in the rehabilitation process. The Bengaluru-based facility is currently overseeing the recovery programs of several star players, including Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Hardik Pandya and Sai Sudharsan, who are dealing with their respective injury concerns.
India's fitness troubles have persisted for some time, continuously disrupting the team's combinations across different series. The frequent setbacks have often left the team management without key players, forcing India to make changes to the playing XI and look towards backup options.
Big revelation from CoE
Amid a lot of questions, a recent report by ANI claims that financial pressures and IPL franchises could be forcing their players to play despite the threat of recurring injuries. A source close to developments has claimed that playing too much cricket despite nursing injuries is one of the key reasons which has led to several setbacks in the recent time.
“Too much cricket. The human body has its load limits. Overuse and stress injuries, especially in older players, are unpredictable in terms of return to play. Players play through injuries during IPL due to franchise and financial pressures and then are dumped onto unsuspecting COE physios," A CoE source said to ANI.
“The team physios and COE physios are competent and conscientious, and are keeping “player safety as their top priority. This, of course, makes it difficult for selectors, coaches, and captains," added the source.