Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has called out the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) over its handling of player rehabilitation, demanding accountability following a fresh injury setback for Varun Chakaravarthy.
The mystery spinner made his international comeback during the opening T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 13. Despite a smooth performance (taking 1/16 in 4 overs), he experienced sudden abdominal discomfort. Scans later revealed a left lateral abdominal side strain, ruling him out of the remainder of three-T20I series.
The Afghanistan series was supposed to mark his return after a two-month recovery cycle from a Grade 2 hamstring injury sustained during the tour of England. Prior to that, he battled a hairline fracture in his foot and fractures in his non-bowling hand during the IPL.
Considering the recent spate of injuries, Ashwin suggested that the Indian team should field separate teams for all three formats and called for greater accountability from the VVS Laxman-headed CoE.
“I think the time has come to make separate teams for Tests, ODIs and T20Is. There might be cross-pollination of one or two players. I think somewhere down the line there has to be accountability for injury management with the players," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“I know that Varun Chakaravarthy was at the NCA for the last 3-4 months. We were asking for permission for TNPL and they didn’t release him. He should have returned in a month, but he was there for 2-3 months," he added.
Ashwin also recalled how a side strain from Olympic lifting in 2015 forced him to adjust his training methods to protect his body.
“As a player, you also have to see that your training method is correct. Am I doing the right exercises? The only side strain I got in 2015 was due to Olympic lifting. After that, I stopped snatching," Ashwin stated.
“You can certainly be faster with Olympic lifting; your power production also increases, but if you have an injury that doesn’t suit you, the player should also watch what he is doing," he remarked.
Due to this latest injury setback, Varun Chakaravarthy has also been ruled out of the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, where young leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam has been named his replacement, and India's upcoming home T20I series against the West Indies.
