BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has reportedly demanded accountability from the Indian team physio Kamlesh Jain and CoE.
BCCI’s Center of Excellence (CoE) has come under severe scrutiny amid frequent fitness concerns impacting the Indian men’s cricket team, often forcing the side to take the field without first-choice players.
In particular, the injuries to fast bowlers have been alarming, with Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana’s cases drawing backlash following the latest setbacks.
Bumrah was cleared by the CoE after passing mandated fitness assessments. However, lingering discomfort and reactive swelling in his left knee from an impact injury in the England ODI series forced the medical team to rule him out of the Sri Lanka Test series to avoid a long-term breakdown. He was replaced by Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi.
On the other hand, Rana checked into the CoE after undergoing knee surgery and missing the entire IPL 2026 season. He was cleared for the UK tour despite arriving overweight at 97 kg. The lack of stringent weight monitoring during rehab forced his unhealed knee to overcompensate, triggering a Grade 1 biceps femoris (hamstring) muscle tear within 10 days of returning.
According to a TOI report, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has demanded accountability from the Indian team physio Kamlesh Jain and CoE following a spate of recurring player injuries.
“The Indian team management flagged that he (Rana) was overweight by four kgs," the publication quoted a BCCI official as saying. “The CoE should have been much more vigilant."
“He has been now told by CoE staff that his weight can’t exceed 96 kgs. He is now 94 kgs and is expected to be cleared next week. But he was 97 kgs when he was cleared to be picked for the Indian team for the UK tour," the source added.
Apart from Bumrah and Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Reddy suffered a left quadriceps injury and was ruled out of the subsequent white-ball tour of UK. He has reportedly resumed light bowling drills at the CoE, but remains under medical observation before a full return to competitive play.
As for Sundar, the spin-all-rounder suffered a recurrence of his chronic hamstring issues during the England tour, sidelining him right before vital upcoming matches.