Cricketers Unhappy With Rehabilitation Facilities At National Cricket Academy In Bengaluru

There is growing discontent over the way the Indian team management and the Indian cricket board (BCCI) are handling the fitness of the players.

The team management was forced to leave out Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the first three Tests in England on Wednesday because the bowler had 'aggravated a back injury in the third ODI on Tuesday'.

This incident has highlighted the inadequacies of the injury-management system. Fingers are being pointed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. TOI understands that senior cricketers are now unwilling to go through rehab and training at the NCA.

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"It's not Bhuvneshwar alone. There are no good reports coming from the senior players. They have become reluctant to travel to NCA because they feel the fitness regime at the NCA doesn't help their cricketing skills," a BCCI official close to the development told TOI.

That the system has become fragile is evident from the fact the selectors had to pick an unprecedented 18 players for the first three Tests in England. It has been learnt that the rehabilitation system at NCA is too weak to help international players.

"The players don't want to train at NCA these days. A lot of senior players go there just to take fitness tests. They prefer training at their home bases," the official claimed.

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Some players are particularly not happy with the quality of trainers at the NCA. BCCI has sidelined NCA director Dilip Vengsarkar and it is alleged that COO Tufan Ghosh is unaware of the needs of the cricketers. Some players are also unhappy with the ways of Team India trainer Shankar Basu.

"Wasn't it the job of the trainers at NCA and contracted Team India support staff to look after Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar who are contracted players? Yet, Shami flunked a fitness test and now other players are breaking down," the official pointed out.

It may be recalled that Basu had resigned in December 2016 after a spate of injury-related breakdowns in the team.

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"Basu had brought in a very physical routine which revolved around strength training. It suited captain Virat Kohli but a lot of players couldn't cope with it," sources close to the team management said.

"Ghosh, in fact, roped in a placement firm to appoint an inventory and human resource manager. His role is not defined. He has appointed inexperienced trainers in place of seasoned BCCI-certified trainers," sources in the NCA said.

Questions were raised when Soham Desai was appointed as a trainer at NCA without a proper process being followed, and then GM MV Sridhar had to resign. However, Desai is still around and is currently travelling with the U-19 team.

"There are trainers who come from a background of working in high-end gyms just like Basu did. There are times in the year when the NCA doesn't have a trainer. People just chip in. Ghosh is rather busy checking e-mails," the source alleged.