Now Reading: Injuries not a concern, says Laxman amid BCCI CoE criticism
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Injuries not a concern, says Laxman amid BCCI CoE criticism
VVS Laxman, head of the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE), has defended the facility against criticism after Jasprit Bumrah and B. Sai Sudharsan were ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series…
The Story in Brief
VVS Laxman, head of the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE), has defended the facility against criticism after Jasprit Bumrah and B. Sai Sudharsan were ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series due to injuries. Laxman insisted there is 'brilliant' coordination between the CoE, team management, and sports science staff, and said injuries are part of elite sport. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia added that players are often picked conditionally because 'it is a human body, not a machine'.
However, a BCCI CoE source told ANI that players routinely hide injuries during the IPL due to franchise and financial pressures, making rehabilitation harder. The CoE has been without a permanent Head of Sports Science since Nitin Patel left in March 2025. Laxman said top candidates have backed out, often citing an inability to relocate to Bengaluru. Senior physio Dhananjay Kaushik is currently managing the role.
The Indian Opinion
The 'blame the CoE' narrative ignores a deeper problem: too much cricket. A BCCI source tells ANI that players hide injuries during the IPL due to franchise and financial pressure, then dump the recovery burden on CoE physios. That is not a rehab failure; it is a structural one. Laxman defends coordination, but the CoE has been without a Head of Sports Science for 18 months because candidates refuse to move to Bengaluru. How many top cricketers must break down before the BCCI makes that post non-negotiable?
Sources (6): sportstar.thehindu.com, rediff.com, rediff.com (2), rediff.com (3), cricinfo.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 6 sources.
