VVS Laxman defends CoE’s role amid India’s injury crisis

The Story in Brief

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia met VVS Laxman at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Sunday to review the injury-management programme as India grapple with a growing list of sidelined players. Laxman, the CoE head, rejected criticism that the facility is failing to manage injuries, insisting it is not a mere rehab centre but a broader institution for excellence. He said injuries are unavoidable in a cricketer's career and that monitoring, not blame, is the priority. Several key players, Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, are among those dealing with fitness issues ahead of a crucial Test series against Sri Lanka starting August 15. Laxman noted that the CoE has introduced the Bronco test to replace the Yo-Yo test for continuous fitness monitoring. Bumrah's absence is particularly significant, with fluid retention in his knee delaying recovery. The tournament reports that the workload on the sports science team has increased after the resignation of head of sports science Nitin Patel.