Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 9 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman spoke on all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’s injury, saying that the conversations with him are to handle the workload of being an all-rounder better and that injuries are part and parcel.
Amid concerns over the recent spate of injuries, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia met Laxman on Sunday to review the rehabilitation and injury-management programme at the facility. Saikia also attended the press conference along with Laxman, BCCI president Mithun Manhas and other senior officials.
Speaking to the reporters, Laxman was questioned how the COE handle the case of Nitish, a backup to pace bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who wants to get game time but faces injuries constantly. Several key players are currently dealing with injuries, with Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar among those facing fitness concerns. Nitish faced a left quadriceps injury, which left him out of the squads for Ireland, England and Zimbabwe T20Is.
Laxman said that the mental side of the players undergoing rehab or facing injuries is something that is looked after by the COE. He also said that the players should also know that how they can manage their fitness using the little breaks during their matches since there is hardly an off-season.
The former Indian batter also spoke on the screening and fitness tests at the start of the season that are carried out for players.
“I think you know the mental side of a player undergoing rehab or getting injured is something which we always require to keep in mind. So the player also knows that he is injured. The player also knows that what is there he needs to do to get fit and be able to participate in the commitments again,” he said.
“Now, from the COE side, we make sure that we make the player understand the workload. In this case, it is Nitish being an all-rounder obviously, there is a lot of workload on him and how he becomes fitter not only when he is playing various tournaments but also when he is not part of any tournaments. And I think it is an ongoing process now of getting better in your fitness levels because everyone knows now you go to the IPL, you play for a state franchise, and then you start playing domestic cricket or international cricket. So while you are playing the matches also, unlike before where there was an off-season where you actually can get better at your fitness, the player should know that while playing the matches how he productively and meaningfully uses the breaks to get fit.”
“So I think the conversation with Nitish is injury is part and parcel… what is it that you can do to get better to handle the workload of being an all-rounder. And it is across the board, it is not only Nitish… across the board, you want to tell and that is why the screening at the start of the season is very, very important because if you see in the presentation the parameters we have for all the fitness tests, the NFTC (National Fitness Testing Criteria) tests are mentioned there,” he continued.
Laxman said that before the start of the season, players go through a lot of fitness tests and there is also a new fitness test, the Bronco test, introduced by Team India’s strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux.
“So all the players, all the contracted players and the targeted players come before the start of the season, and they undergo a string of fitness tests which you must have seen with various machines out there and on-field activities. There is one new introduction which is fantastic, and Adrian got in that which is your Bronco test. As I mentioned that while you are playing it is very important for you to remain fit,” said Laxman.
The CoE head also spoke on the Yo-Yo Test, which he says cannot be done since they are hard on a player’s body and recovery and hence cannot be done during a series.
“Now Yo-Yo is one test which we test the player’s anaerobic capacity. Now Yo-Yo cannot be done when you are part of a series because it can be really grueling for your body to recover. So the Bronco test is it becomes like a conditioning session, it also indirectly tests the fitness levels, the anaerobic fitness levels of a player and that is taken on board across the various age groups and we do that through the season. So that is something which can be repeatable,” he signed off. (ANI)
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