BCCI to exercise caution before declaring players fit

BCCI’s New Cautious Fitness Policy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), its selection committee, and the Centre of Excellence (CoE) headed by VVS Laxman are now requiring absolute certainty before declaring a player fit for international duty. The aim is to avoid last‑minute withdrawals that leave squads short‑handed.

Why the Change?

• Recent mishaps:
  • Harshit Rana returned for the Ireland/England tours in June after a five‑month lay‑off, only to be ruled out within two weeks.
  • Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Suryansh Shedge, Varun Chakaravarthy and others were also replaced at the eleventh hour.
• These incidents prompted the CoE to adopt a “200 % confidence” approach to player availability.

Implementation

• Players are now marked conditional in squad announcements.
• Fitness tests must be cleared before travel; otherwise, replacements are already identified.
• Selection meetings are held 3–4 weeks before a tour, allowing time for rehabilitation.

Recent Squad Example (T20Is vs Afghanistan)

Note: All other squad members are selected without conditions.

Key Comments

• VVS Laxman (CoE head): “The policy is about transparency. Fitness reports are public, and selectors know who will step in if a player fails the test.”
• Devajit Saikia (BCCI secretary): “If a player is selected within the 21–28 day window before departure, we give him a chance to prove fitness. We don’t reject him outright on selection day because we anticipate recovery before the tour.”

Current Outlook

• Bumrah is expected to be fit for the three‑match series beginning 13 September in New Delhi.
• Nitish Reddy (quadriceps injury) is bowling full workloads at the CoE and looks likely to play.
• Rana and Sundar remain uncertain; the CoE will not take any chances.

Prepared for cricket news writers – concise factual briefing on BCCI’s new fitness verification approach and its impact on upcoming squads.