BCCI's CoE coordinates with selectors on player fitness: VVS Laxman

BCCI's CoE head VVS Laxman addressed India's growing injury list, highlighting the strong coordination between the CoE, team management, and selectors. He said the CoE provides regular fitness reports to aid in informed selection decisions.

BCCI's CoE head VVS Laxman (Photo: ANI)

Amid scrutiny over India's growing injury list, Board of Control for Cricket in India's Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman on Sunday said that there is strong coordination between the CoE, team management, sports science and medicine staff, and Indian selection committees. He explained that selectors regularly seek players' fitness reports from the CoE, which provides updated assessments to the selection committee, head coaches and the BCCI to support informed selection decisions. Several key players are currently dealing with injuries, with Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar among those facing fitness concerns.

Coordination Process Explained

"There's a brilliant coordination between the COE, the team management of both the teams [men and women], the SSM [Sports Science & Medicine] staff and the selection committees, " Laxman said. "The process is that the selector [chairperson] reaches out to the COE asking for the fitness status report [of players]. And we collect the current status and send it to the selection committee chairperson, with a copy to the respective head coach and BCCI," he added.

CoE's Broader Role

He stressed that injuries are an inevitable part of a cricketer's career and said the priority should be careful monitoring and management of players, rather than blaming the CoE or looking for scapegoats. "CoE is not merely a rehab centre. There are bigger roles to play for it in helping cricketers achieve excellence," Laxman added.

Challenges in Filling Key Position

Laxman also spoke about the vacant position of Head of Sports Science and Medicine (SSM) at the CoE, saying the BCCI has faced difficulties in finding a suitable candidate for the role. He said the position requires not only stature and experience but also an understanding of Indian cricketers and their requirements.

"After Nitin (Patel) left, we couldn't fill his shoes. Everything was agreed upon; Andrew (Leipus) backed off citing family reasons," Laxman said. (ANI)

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