Team India players Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya refused to train at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) following their respective injuries, which throws open the debate over the team and the kind of specialists that are present in Bengaluru.
Speaking to IANS, a BCCI official said that both players should have been getting back to fitness at the NCA in Bengaluru as they are contracted players, but the duo had mentioned that they would not be following the same.
“Both Pandya and Bumrah made it clear to the team management that they wouldn’t wish to go to the academy for rehabilitation and that is why while Yogesh Parmar kept an eye on Pandya, Nitin Patel studied every process that Jasprit Bumrah followed during the rehab. Yes, they are contracted players and they should have been at the NCA, but the stakes are high and for a sportsperson injuries are a serious matter. So, beyond a point you have to allow them to take a call that they are comfortable with,” the functionary revealed.
Both Hardik Pandya and Bumrah underwent training with Delhi Capitals trainer Rajnikanth Sivagnanam, who was in race to be Team India trainer, before being edged out by Nick Webb.
Recently, the quality of the specialists in the NCA have been questioned after the injury to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had to pull out of the ODI series against West Indies that begins from Sunday after suffering a sports hernia. The pacer was at the NCA since the World Cup as he looked to regain full fitness, but the NCA trainers failed to spot his hernia, and he started complaining of discomfort just two games after playing for Team India in the T20I series against Windies. Questions remain as to how Bhuvi was given the full-fitness clearance.
“He was at the NCA for close to three months and without getting into details on the number of tests done on him in Bengaluru, all I will say is that he was checked for all possible issues. But strangely, the sportsman’s hernia wasn’t diagnosed. And no sooner was he tested in Mumbai that it was caught. Now make what you will of this.
“Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that a player has had to face this sort of an issue at the NCA. Wriddhiman Saha episode is there for all to see and now we have a scenario where Bhuvi will miss a crucial series against New Zealand and we all know what he brings to the table in conditions which aid swing and seam. He will have to undergo a surgery and should be back in time for the Indian Premier League,” the BCCI official explained.
“Thankfully, Bhuvneshwar was quick to inform the team management of the discomfort and Nitin and the support staff was quick to look into it and get him tested in Mumbai. We did follow the protocol and he was only brought into the unit after he was declared fit and available by the NCA.”
