CHENNAI: Thrilling it must have been for India fans across the globe, but the last few overs of the chase in Friday’s Asia Cup final against Bangladesh reminded one also of the state of injury management in this team.
Kedar Jadhav was struggling to run because of a dodgy hamstring and had to take a break before being forced to return, just days after returning from an injury-induced break. Jadhav’s is not an isolated case of a player being sidelined due to injury. Hardik Pandya broke down at the start of the event, when he collapsed in his delivery stride during the Men in Blue’s group-stage clash against Pakistan and had to be stretchered away from the field. The team’s fast bowlers have kept missing matches due to fitness-related issues. Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha had a shoulder problem that went undetected for a long time, and eventually required surgery.
The rise in the number of players hobbling out doesn’t speak highly of the system in place to monitor these things. Other than specialists travelling with the team, BCCI has a setup at National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, which is supposed to take care of injuries and recovery.
The Jadhav example suggests that something somewhere is not working the way it should. Having suffered a hamstring injury on the very first day of this year’s IPL, where he was representing Chennai Super Kings, the batsman was ruled out of the tournament and also India’s limited-over engagements in Ireland and England. Suffering the same problem again five matches after coming back means not all was right in the meantime.
“Injuries are unavoidable when you are dealing with a bunch of players. But if the same injury rules somebody out after he has been put through a process of recovery, then it shows that something is not right with the process,” a source in the know said. “Hamstring muscles are used all the time, and it’s a common problem for players. If monitoring is done properly and the player is declared fit, such injuries should not recur. Jadhav’s case suggests that this part of the system is not functioning well.”
It’s well known that most cricketers in India are not aware of what should be done to stay fit when they are not on national duty. So the routines they follow are often not in sync with what they are asked to do by the specialists of the Indian team. This creates a gap between what is done and what needs to be done. There have been talks to bring all under a common programme, but the rise in the number of injuries shows that this plan has not been successful.
“Even though awareness has increased post the advent of IPL, most players pay little attention to these things in their formative years. So when they come to the international level, they find themselves doing something new,” felt the source.
“Then, there are a few who neglect what has been prescribed. So it’s a combination of flaws in the system and lack of awareness that has led to this situation.”While winning the Asia Cup is good news, developments on this important front may somewhat dampen celebrations.
atreyo@newindianexpress.com