VVS Laxman Defends BCCI’s Injury Management Process After Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan Setbacks

VVS Laxman has defended the BCCI Centre of Excellence’s injury management process after Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan were ruled out of India’s upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.

Both players were initially selected subject to fitness, but failed to receive clearance before the squad’s departure. Auqib Nabi has replaced Bumrah, while Sudharsan’s replacement is yet to be announced.

Laxman, who heads the Centre of Excellence, said injury recovery cannot always follow a fixed timeline. He stressed that the process is based on the player’s condition and progress rather than a set number of days.

“There’s a brilliant coordination between the COE, between the team management and the SSM staff, and the selection committee,” Laxman said.

He explained that the selection committee regularly seeks fitness reports from the CoE. The medical team then shares the player’s latest status with the selectors, head coach and BCCI.

Bumrah and Sudharsan were selected with an asterisk next to their names, meaning their places depended on fitness clearance. Laxman said this allows selectors to keep recovering players in contention instead of ruling them out too early.

Players at the CoE follow a structured Return To Play programme. It starts with a clinical assessment before moving into strength and conditioning work, followed by skill training and gradual workload increases.

Before a player is declared fit, he is required to play two Return To Play matches. The aim is to ensure the player is ready to perform from his first match after returning to the team.

Laxman also pointed out that the recovery process can differ from player to player. “It’s human body. It is not a machine where the timelines will always be met,” he said.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia backed the process and explained why players are often selected three to four weeks before a team leaves for a series.

He said a player who is not fully fit on the day of selection could recover before the actual departure date. Keeping the selection subject to fitness means the player is not rejected prematurely.

“So we do not deprive the player also,” Saikia said, adding that nobody can predict exactly whether a player will recover in 14, 21 or 28 days.

India will now enter the Sri Lanka Test series without Bumrah and Sudharsan, but the BCCI believes its current system gives players the best chance to return safely and at full fitness.