The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), alongside the selection committee and the Centre of Excellence (CoE) led by VVS Laxman, is shifting toward a more rigorous and cautious policy regarding player fitness. This strategic move aims to prevent the recurring issue of players being selected for international series only to be ruled out shortly after, a situation that has previously disrupted team planning.
The policy shift follows several high-profile instances where injury management proved challenging. Harshit Rana’s experience in June serves as a primary example; after a five-month absence, he returned for tours of Ireland and England but was sidelined within two weeks, necessitating a replacement by Prince Yadav. Similar last-minute adjustments have been common, including Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan being replaced by Auqib Nabi and Sarfaraz Khan for Sri Lanka Tests, Suryansh Shedge stepping in for Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Ravi Bishnoi replacing Varun Chakaravarthy for the Zimbabwe tour.
To mitigate these risks, the BCCI is now prioritizing extreme certainty. A source familiar with the policy noted that officials are no longer satisfied with standard fitness benchmarks, stating, “Not just 100 per cent, but they want to be 200 per cent confident about a player’s availability before releasing him.” Consequently, the CoE is adopting a zero-tolerance approach to taking unnecessary chances with recovering athletes.
This caution is reflected in recent squad announcements, such as the T20I series against Afghanistan, where players like Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, and Rana were listed as conditional picks. VVS Laxman emphasized that this transparency is intended to benefit both the players and the team. “They understand that they’re not yet ready to participate in the national series,” Laxman explained. “At the end of the selection, whether it’s a release to the press, it’s clearly mentioned that these players are picked subject to fitness. It means if they don’t clear the fitness test, the selectors will know who are the other players who will go in their place. I mean, it’s basic common sense.”
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia clarified that selection meetings often occur three to four weeks prior to a team’s departure, which necessitates the use of asterisks for players currently in rehabilitation programs. “So if he gets picked within that period of 21 or 28 days, he will be taken into the team,” Saikia noted. “That is precisely why we do not outrightly reject him because on the date of selection, he is not fit. But, by the time it will be effectively required for the travel or to play the match, by that time he may be totally fit.”
Regarding the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan starting September 13 in New Delhi, selectors remain optimistic about Bumrah’s availability despite his conditional status. Similarly, Nitish Reddy, who has been sidelined with a quadriceps injury, is reportedly bowling six to seven overs daily at full intensity at the CoE and is expected to be ready for the Delhi fixtures. While the status of Rana and Sundar remains uncertain, the CoE maintains that it will not compromise on the vetting process to ensure the squad is fully prepared for international competition.
