BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia to meet VVS Laxman in Bengaluru on Sunday over player rehabilitation

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will meet Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman in Bengaluru on Sunday to review the rehabilitation management programme amid a recent spate of injuries to Indian players.

India are currently missing several players through injury, with Jasprit Bumrah (knee swelling), B Sai Sudharsan (left foot big toe), Harshit Rana (hamstring), Nitish Kumar Reddy (hamstring) and Washington Sundar (quadriceps) all sidelined for various periods. Akash Deep (lower back stress fracture) has been out the longest since Bengal's Ranji Trophy semi-final defeat. At the same time, white-ball specialists Hardik Pandya (quadriceps), Varun Chakravarthy (hamstring) and Prince Yadav (hamstring) are at the Centre of Excellence for rehabilitation, where the Sports Science team has been working without a figurehead since Nitin Patel resigned in early 2025.

Sudarshan and Bumrah had been named in the squad subject to fitness, but COE medical staff chose a cautious approach rather than rushing their returns. BCCI officials describe the immediate priority as getting the affected players back onto the field, with workload and recovery timelines under close review.

There are reported tensions between the COE and the selection committee over injury-management timetables and the timing of player releases. The selection panel was unhappy about Harshit Rana travelling to England while reportedly overweight, and it had expected Bumrah and Sudharsan to be fit for at least one of the two Test matches before further developments emerged.

Medical updates detailed the specific setbacks: Bumrah experienced water retention in his knee following an impact injury, which has extended his recovery period; Sudharsan has been batting for around 75 minutes a day but continues to feel pain in his big toe; and Nitish Kumar Reddy increased his bowling pace by 7 to 8 kmph, which placed extra strain on his hamstring and quadriceps.

"Yes, secretary Saikia will be in Bengaluru to take a stock of the situation along with VVS Laxman. It is not known whether head coach of national team Gautam Gambhir or chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar will join online or not," a BCCI source in the know told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The scheduled meeting between Saikia and Laxman on Sunday will be the next formal step in addressing the cluster of injuries and the COE's rehabilitation processes, with the involvement of the head coach or the chairman of selectors yet to be confirmed.