Former Indian cricketer and current head of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), VVS Laxman, responded to the criticism against the facility after players’ slow recovery. The BCCI’s CoE came under scrutiny after high-profile athletes failed to recover on time for key series and tournaments.
Top cricketers like Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, and Washington Sundar are currently out of fitness. They are still recovering from their injuries and undergoing training at the CoE.
Amidst the increasing criticism about CoE’s inability to recover players on time, Laxman defended that the injury concerns are not related to any department or individual.
‘CoE Beyond Rehab Centre’: VVS Laxman Explains
During the recent media interaction, VVS Laxman clarified how BCCI’s CoE plays a crucial role in guiding cricketers to achieve success.
“See! You need to know that CoE isn’t only a rehab centre, but also plays a big role in helping cricketers achieve supremacy. So, it would be inappropriate to use the word ‘blame’ for injuries just to find someone as a scapegoat.
However, the cooperation between the Centre of Excellence and team management (both men’s and women’s cricket) and the Sports Science & Medicine (SSM) staff has been fabulous. There is seamless communication happening.
Understanding the guidelines and estimated timelines is very important. Remember that the human body is not a machine to always meet timelines. The process of understanding a player’s progress is continuous, and based on that, the workload will be increased.
Starting from diagnosing an injury till declaring a player’s fitness ahead of their departure from the CoE, there is a certain process to be followed,” Laxman said.
‘Bumrah and Sudharsan Always an Asterisk Selection’: Laxman Reveals Fact
As per the squad officially announced by BCCI for the 2-match Test series in Sri Lanka, Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan’s selection was based on their fitness conditions. Besides their name, there was an “Asterisk (*)” symbol, meaning their selection was subject to their fitness clearance.
Unfortunately, Bumrah and Sudharsan failed to clear the fitness test, drawing criticism about BCCI CoE’s rehabilitation timelines, fitness judgement, and communication gap between the national selection committee and the sports science team.
VVS Laxman explained that Bumrah and Sudharsan’s selection was always based on fitness clearance. He clarified that the departments have been maintaining excellent communication between one another.
“Yes! The BCCI selector reaches out to the CoE asking about the player’s current fitness status report, which will be sent to the selection committee chairman or chairperson of the women’s selection committee. Also, a copy would be sent to both teams’ head coaches as well as the BCCI.
Let’s consider Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan, as there has always been an asterisk. When the media release from the BCCI comes, this is what we all notice. And then the doubt comes: what does the asterisk mean in the selection list? The asterisk means players’ selection is subject to fitness.
Bumrah and Sudharsan were expected to be selected for the Sri Lanka tour based on their fitness clearance.
As I explained to you before, their physical condition will be assessed before moving from one stage to another. Any slowdown in the progress will be communicated to the head coach and chairman of selectors,” Laxman added.
How Players Must Complete their Return To Play (RTP) Programs? Laxman Explains
Furthermore, VVS Laxman clarified how players are declared fit by explaining three different stages:
First Stage: Understand the Nature of Injury
“Certainly! Regardless of the player getting injured in any environment, the Indian team physio should understand the nature of the injury. As we have a year-long connection with the experts and specialists, they would examine a player’s fitness”, Laxman said.
Second Stage: SSM team to Examine Injury
“Yeah! After the diagnosis is complete, the players are sent to the CoE by the team staff. The SSM team would then examine, and based on the review, the treatment plan for their recovery will be determined, which would help them rejoin the team,” Laxman added.
Third Stage: Play Two RTP Matches
“Exactly! Then comes the next stage where the player is ready to undergo certain tests to prove their strength and physical condition.
The Strength & Conditioning (SNC) will play a crucial part here. Following that phase, players gradually return to enhance their skill practice, where their workload is increased step-by-step. It is important to play two return-to-play (RTP) matches before declaring them 100% fit,” Laxman said.
Overall Opinion
VVS Laxman explains injuries are part of a cricketer’s career. He advised players not to think too much about their injury, which limits their playing abilities.
However, Laxman stressed coordination, which cannot be substituted for strong and full‑time leadership in managing player fitness. He suggested the BCCI should act spontaneously to substitute injured players as India is currently facing a shortage of key players amidst a challenging WTC cycle.
Conclusively, Laxman defended CoE by explaining that players’ fitness is assessed stage by stage and gave a counterattacking response, saying that they are not machines to fulfill the timelines.