BCCI's Devajit Saikia visited BCCI CoE to assess things after criticism of facility over players' fitness.
They also discussed how the CoE, selectors, and team management communicate about players' fitness. Bumrah had been managing a knee injury since the T20 World Cup and recently suffered an impact injury in the second ODI against England. The CoE had initially assessed him and concluded that the pacer would be ready in time for the Sri Lanka Tests.
Bumrah was hence picked in the Indian squad for the two Tests against Sri Lanka, stating that his participation was “subject to fitness clearance”. However, the injury was more serious than predicted, and the medical staff refused to risk his participation, so Bumrah was withdrawn from the squad.
Sudharsan, who hit two centuries in two 'A' Tests before being injured in the second game against Sri Lanka 'A', is currently receiving rehabilitation at the CoE in Bengaluru. Like Bumrah, he was selected subject to fitness clearance but was ruled out on Saturday after failing to recuperate in time.
These instances led to criticism of the CoE, and reports also stated that the CoE and BCCI selection committee have not been on the same page over timelines.
Laxman wanted to clarify how the process works, emphasizing that the CoE's fitness assessments are given openly to selectors and team management.
“The process is that the selector reaches out to the COE asking for the fitness status report. And we collect the current fitness status and send a report to the selection committee chairman or chairperson in the women's selection committee, with a copy to obviously the head coach of both the teams and the BCCI,” Laxman told reporters.
“So, Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan were going to be picked for Sri Lanka subject to fitness clearance. And as I told before, you assess them, you 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.
“There's transparency in all the fitness reports and also in the selection. At the end of the selection, it's clearly mentioned that these players are picked subject to fitness. It means if they don't clear the fitness test, the selectors will know who the other players are who will go in their place. I mean, it's basic common sense,” he added.
On the other hand, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who had met Laxman to assess things at the CoE, said that BCCI is optimistic when it approaches such matters, retaining hope that the player will be fit in time, until the last moment.
“We have our selection meetings at least 3-4 weeks before the team departs. So therefore, 3-4 weeks before, we do not know the exact status of the player. Therefore, that asterisk, subject to fitness, is given because that particular player is under a programme of rehabilitation. So, if he gets fit within the period of 21 days or 28 days, he will be taken into the team.
We do not outrightly reject a player because, by the time it will be effectively required for travel or to play the match, he may be totally fit. So, we do not deprive the player either. Nobody can predict that (timelines). As VVS has rightly said, it is a human body. It is not a machine. So, he may take 14 days or he may take 28 days (to recover),” Saikia said.
Saikia paid a visit to the CoE as the board continues to be concerned about the Indian team's recent ailments.
In addition to Bumrah and Sudharsan, India is missing Harshit Rana (hamstring), Nitish Kumar Reddy (hamstring), and Washington Sundar (quadriceps) due to injuries. Akash Deep, who is rehabilitating from a lower-back stress fracture, has been out the longest, having been sidelined since Bengal's Ranji Trophy semifinal loss.
The injury list also includes white-ball players Hardik Pandya (quadriceps), Varun Chakravarthy (hamstring), and Prince Yadav (hamstring).
The Sports Science team in CoE is still without a permanent head, after Nitin Patel resigned in early 2025.
(PTI inputs)