The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru has come under the scanner after India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the ODI series due to a sports hernia.
Kumar made his return to international cricket in India’s three-match T20 series against West Indies which the hosts won 2-1. After going wicketless in the first two games, the seamer picked up two wickets in the last match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The NCA declared him fit, which is why he took part in the T20I series. He was also a part of the ODI series, but got ruled out and replaced by Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur.
Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is wary of the proceedings at NCA. BCCI secretary Jay Shah has asked the NCA to share Kumar’s medical report.
“He clearly wants to get to the bottom of everything at the NCA. Somebody needs to take a good look at how the country’s premier academy has been rotting at all levels,” sources were quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).
“There are individuals who have been hired on a permanent basis at the NCA without even having to undergo interviews for the job. Worse, those who went through interviews have been handed contracts.”
“BCCI should look into the cases of individuals who have lied in their joining letters regarding conflict and have taken permanent jobs despite serious conflicts and are drawing fat salaries,” sources added.
Before the West Indies series, news had it that Kumar’s sports hernia couldn’t be diagnosed in three different scans until Team India’s physiotherapist came up with the correct diagnosis.
Much like most fast bowlers in the world, Kumar is frequently bogged down by injuries. In 2018 he suffered an injury on his back which kept him out of the England tour partially and even in the ODI World Cup he pulled a hamstring injury. Most recently, he remained out of the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh. It remains to be seen if he can recover on time before the January 2020 T20I series against Sri Lanka.
