BCCI to take up fitness of players on a priority basis
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Indian Cricket Team
The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India has made a tacit admission it was not paying proper attention to the fitness of players. If not, the announcement on Sunday that the Yo-Yo test and Dexa test would be used to monitor the fitness of a core group of 20 players picked for the ICC World Cup (ODI format) would not have been highlighted by the BCCI.
The good news is the Indian cricket board has named a core group wherein players will be rotated. Workload management has been a big issue with many players and there have been injuries, breaks, and players opting out of the series. All this was done, with n responsibility fixed. Now, it’s clear, the fitness parameters will be measured more closely as there cannot be any glitches before the World Cup.
It was embarrassing before the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, there were fitness issues. The worst was, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah being rushed back into play after sustaining a stress fracture in his back during the Birmingham Test in July 2022. He broke down, again. It is well known, in most sports, fitness is a prime area of concern. Indian hockey and many other sports have a continuous evaluation process, wherein players who sustain injuries are monitored.
The first step is to ensure they are fit and the second is to assess if they are back to full-match fitness after proper rehab. That is how the Indian hockey players — men and women — have improved massively on the Yo-Yo scale scores in the last few years.
Yo-Yo test and Dexa scan will be used by BCCI to monitor core group of 20 players named for the ICC World Cup
Sadly, in Indian cricket, players have concealed injuries or been below 100 percent fitness. Skipper Rohit Sharma, himself, has not been the best in terms of fitness, which reflects when he is fielding. He even has a paunch. The Dexa test is more sophisticated. It evaluates many parameters, including lean mass, fat mass, and skeletal health.
Dexa test involves a scan, which means, players will be assessed more than just in terms of proving fitness on the Yo-Yo scale. As players undergoing rehab, post-injury, are evaluated at the NCA (National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru, the Dexa scan could become a useful tool. Cricket is non-stop and players have to be part of the Indian Premier League as well as the domestic season and then be part of Team India.
Results in the last two editions of the ICC T20 World Cup have been bad and exposed form as well as fitness. Even though the BCCI has woken up finally, it is still better than not having any continuous monitoring system in place. Hopefully, in 2023, there will be les breakdowns of players. For the record, head coach Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah NCA head VVS Laxman and selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma were part of the meeting on Sunday which took the decisions.
Breakdown of players in 2022 had been high, so the wake-up call on the first day January, 1, 2023, is good. The meeting would have also discussed the situation arising out of Rishabh Pant‘s accident, where the wicket-keeper batsman is now admitted in hospital in Dehradun. It was sheer luck he survived the high-speed crash three days ago and was taken to the hospital by Harayana Roadways workers (driver and conductor) who acted as good samaritans.
Reports have said Pant is out of danger though his recovery will take time. He has been given assurance from all concerned in India, he will get the best possible attention. He will be out of action for at least a year and is expected to be shifted to Mumbai for further treatment later this week. Pant’s car accident and videos of it going viral have shocked all.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BCCI bosses, all have shown immense concern for Pant, who batted well against Bangladesh so recently. He has cuts, bruises, scars and injuries on his knee as well. Sadly, his being out of action means the BCCI will have to discuss who to groom for his role as wicket-keeper in Tests. KS Bharat seems the obvious choice. There will also be a need to pick someone as a backup for Bharat as well for Tests.
The second issue will be more serious as IPL franchise Delhi Capitals will have to decide who will lead the side in the IPL in 2023. Nobody is talking about it at this point of time, openly, as it is sensitive. Realistically speaking, Pant will be under treatment and rehab for a long time is the estimate from doctors who are attending on him in Dehradun.
Cine stars Anupam Kher and Anil Kapoor also visited him in hospital. Kapoor said as Pant has been very fit, he will bounce back sooner. Wish this comes true. Pant is young and a great fighter, despite all the criticism he gets from several quarters. Billions are praying for his recovery in India.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)