Ravichandran Ashwin Questions BCCI System Over Injury Management, Raises Accountability Concerns

The growing concern around India's injury-management system has prompted former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to question the structure and accountability surrounding the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

The CoE has recently come under scrutiny amid questions over the prolonged injury absences of several Indian players. The latest issue involves Jasprit Bumrah, whose unavailability for India's Test series against Sri Lanka reportedly came as a surprise after the national selection committee had initially been led to believe that the pacer would be available.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said Indian cricket may need to reconsider how players are managed across formats and stressed the need for clearer accountability when injuries occur.

"I think the time has come to make separate teams for Tests, ODIs and T20Is. There might be cross-pollination of one or two players. I think somewhere down the line there has to be accountability for injury management of players," Ashwin said.

He also cited the example of Varun Chakravarthy, who spent several months at the National Cricket Academy/CoE while seeking permission to participate in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

"I know that Varun Chakravarthy was at the NCA for the last three to four months. We were asking for permission for the TNPL, and they didn't release him. He should have returned in a month, but he was there for two to three months."

Ashwin also highlighted the role of players in managing their own physical preparation, drawing from his personal experience of suffering a side strain in 2015.

"As a player, you also have to see that your training method is correct. Am I doing the right exercises? The only side strain I suffered in 2015 was due to Olympic lifting. After that, I stopped snatching," Ashwin said.

He added:

"You can certainly be faster with Olympic lifting; your power production also increases. But if you have an injury that doesn't suit you, the player should also watch what he is doing."

Ashwin's comments come amid wider discussions within Indian cricket about workload, scheduling and the management of injuries.