New Delhi: The chief VVS Laxman on Sunday said that the facility should not be blamed for players’ slow recovery, stressing that cricketers are not “machines” who can always meet predetermined rehabilitation timelines.
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounders Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and batter are some of the players who have been recovering from their respective injuries at the CoE at present.
“See, CoE is not just a rehab centre, but there are bigger roles to play for it in helping cricketers achieve excellence. So, we don’t like to use the term ‘blame’ (for injuries) because when you’re using that term, then you’re finding someone as a scapegoat,” Laxman told media at the CoE.
‘Brilliant coordination between the CoE and the team’
Laxman said that the coordination between the CoE and the team management of both men and women has been brilliant, adding that the communication is happening seamlessly.
“This is where I think it’s very important to understand that the guidelines and the timelines are given based on what you expect. But it’s the human body. It is not a machine where the timelines will always be met,”.
Laxman talked about the cases of Bumrah and Sudharsan to explain his point, and said that the selectors reach out to the CoE asking for the fitness report, and they collect it and send it to the selection committee chairman with a copy to the head coach of both the teams and the BCCI.
“Now Bumrah and Sudarshan, there’s always an asterisk against their name. It means subject to fitness. So Bumrah and Sudarshan were going to be picked for Sri Lanka subject to fitness clearance,”.
“As I told before, we assess them, move them from one stage to the next stage and if the progression is slow, you communicate to the selection committee chairman and the head coach, which is happening seamlessly, and they understand that they’re not yet ready to participate in an international series,” Laxman said.
The former cricketer was asked about the concern to see a large group of players consistently getting injured, but he downplayed it by saying that the injuries are part and parcel of their career.
The Men in Blue will begin their World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle with the two-match series against Sri Lanka, and then will face New Zealand (away) and Australia (home).