The Board of Control for Cricket in India has finally acted to curtail its players from taking part in any additional cricket that might increase their risk of picking up an injury.
HT learnt on Friday that the Board had denied Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja permission to turn out for the Rajasthan Royals in a charity match against Middlesex right after the four-ODI series in the West Indies.
To reach London in time to play the T20 match at Lord’s on July 6, Yusuf and Jadeja would have had to fly out of St Lucia on July 5 at 7.30 pm immediately after the final match. Shantanu Chari, the Royals’ head of cricket operations, wrote to the BCCI seeking “the necessary permission to secure their release,” adding that “both players are very keen to play, and are happy to fly overnight, they simply need to leave straight after the game.”
The Board, however, declined permission, hardly surprising given all the recent talk about the IPL causing players to go into the T20 World Cup carrying injuries. This came on a day when it became public that Virender Sehwag had indeed undergone shoulder surgery in England on June 11, as HT reported, and that it would take him 12-16 weeks to recover. This means that Sehwag could miss the Champions Trophy in September.
The Board also downplayed reports that several players carried injuries into the tournament and that team doctor Nitin Patel had suggested that some players were unfit and therefore should not have been selected.
{{/usCountry}}The Board also downplayed reports that several players carried injuries into the tournament and that team doctor Nitin Patel had suggested that some players were unfit and therefore should not have been selected.
{{/usCountry}}HT has accessed the report Patel sent to the Board and it is obvious that the report was a routine one merely stating the niggles five players had suffered and the course of management they needed to adopt.