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Board asks IPL, NCA to share player fitness feedback
Workload management and injury rehabilitation were the focus of BCCI’s review and planning meeting in the wake of players breaking down again on their return to the national squads; yo-yo test returns as a selection criterion
The issue of repeated player breakdown and setting in place remedial protocols dominated discussions in a performance review and planning meeting held in Mumbai by BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny with the team management on Sunday.
The board has directed the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to share details on the fitness of 20 players who are in an initial shortlist for the ODI World Cup to be hosted by the country in October-November.
The increase in player breakdowns has affected national teams across formats. They have led to questions about India’s performances being hit and whether some of the players focus on regaining fitness for IPL. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru has invariably been under scrutiny in this regard.
“Keeping in mind the men’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) and preparations for ICC CWC 2023, the NCA will work in tandem with the IPL franchisee to monitor the targeted Indian players participating in the IPL 2023,” Shah said in a BCCI statement after the meeting.
The pool of 20 players identified will be rotated in ODIs in the lead up to the World Cup. India’s performances as well as steps to measure fitness were discussed.
BCCI BACKS ROHIT, DRAVID
The three-and-half-hour meeting showed faith with the current set-up and also did not push for split-coaching. “So far as captaincy is concerned, Rohit is there till the ODI World Cup. What happens after that is for the future,” a board official said.
India being handed a 10-wicket defeat in the T20 World Cup semi-final by England, the recent ODI series loss to Bangladesh and failure to qualify for the Asia Cup final though were part of the discussions. Coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Chetan Sharma were present while Binny and Rohit Sharma joined via video conference from abroad.
“The issues of player availability, workload management and fitness parameters were also discussed at length during the meeting along with the roadmap for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” Shah said in the statement.
YO-YO MARKER
The Yo-Yo test is back. “The Yo-Yo Test and Dexa will now be part of the selection criteria and be implemented in the customised roadmaps of the central pool of players,” said Shah.
Yo-yo, the aerobic endurance fitness test that involves running between markers at increasing speeds, was used as a selection marker during Virat Kohli’s tenure as captain. It had its critics in a skill-based sport, but was credited with raising fitness standards of the players. The test was discontinued once Dravid and Rohit took charge in late 2021.
The need to revive it was felt as players continue to break down on international return from injury rehab.
Following Jasprit Bumrah (back) and Deepak Chahar (back), fellow fast bowler Kuldeep Sen (back) was the latest to break down in the middle of a tour. “We need to try and get to the bottom of it,” Rohit Sharma had said. “I don't know what exactly it is. Maybe they’re playing too much cricket. We need to try and monitor those guys because it's important to understand when they come for India, they need to be 100%, in fact more than 100%.”
A board source said: “Making match fitness compulsory on return from injury may not be practically possible in every case with the current schedule.”
The benchmark yo-yo score of 16.5 last used by India will be retained. India began by using 16.1 as the benchmark score and was considering raising it to 17.1.
Dexa, a standard for measuring body composition and bone health, has been added as another selection criterion.
In case of fast bowlers, there is a view within the board that their bowling muscles will only get better if they play more. While the jury is out on whether steps being taken are enough to keep more fit cricketers on the park, a key recommendation from the meet wants “emerging players to play a substantial domestic season to be eligible for selection to the national team.”
This is to reinforce the primacy of domestic cricket over IPL. An official said it was also discussed that the standard of bilateral cricket should be maintained and equal emphasis be made on the World Test Championship while providing IPL the window for the full participation of marquee players.
