Need to get to bottom of it: Indian skipper on Men in Blue's injury issues

Dec 07, 2022

Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 8 : Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday expressed his frustration with Men in Blue's increasing pile of injured players, saying that the team needs to get to the bottom of it.
Bangladesh survived a late blitz from an injured Rohit Sharma to secure a narrow five-run win to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium here on Wednesday.
"I mean there are definitely a few injury concerns," ESPNCricinfo quoted Rohit as saying after India's five-run loss that meant a 2-0 loss to Bangladesh on Wednesday.
"We need to try and get to the bottom of it. I do not know what exactly it is. Maybe they are playing too much cricket. We need to try and monitor those guys, because it is important to understand when they come for India, they need to be a 100 per cent, in fact more than 100 per cent."
"It is something we have to look at. We have to sit with our team back home at the NCA as well and try and monitor their workload. That is something we need to look at. We cannnot afford guys coming in here half-fit and representing the country. There's huge pride and honour in representing the country and if they are not fit enough, it is not ideal. Having said that, we just need to get to the bottom of it and find out what exactly is the reason behind this," concluded Rohit.
Interestingly, Rohit Sharma, along with Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Sen, will be missing the third ODI after a thumb injury.
Various up-and-coming and regular stars of Team India alike have been ravaged by injuries throughout the year.
Chahar and Washington Sundar, currently the part of Bangladesh tour, are among those who have spent extensive time period in rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are two big names who are currently down due to injuries. Bumrah has not featured in competitive cricket since September due to back issues while Jadeja has not donned Indian colours since September this year after sustaining an injury during Asia Cup in UAE.
Currently, players on selectors radar are supposed to report at NCA for fitness assessment, following which a detailed report is given to team's management. Then, the trainer creates a workload management programme for the player with consultation from the support staff.
In case a player in unfit, they first undergo a detailed investigation with regards to their injury and spend a prescribed period of time in rehab. The final steps of recovery includes a detailed fitness assessment before being given a green signal.