NCA refuses to conduct Bumrah's fitness test

[Malcolm Merlyn]

 

MUMBAI: The BCCI's National Cricket Academy

 (NCA) in Bangalore has refused to conduct pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah's fitness test. The fast bowler was in Bangalore this week - after bowling in the nets with the Indian team in Visakhapatnam on December 16 - to undergo the mandatory fitness test ahead of a comeback.The concerned team at the NCA - led by director Rahul Dravid and physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik - "politely" told Bumrah that they would not be conducting the test. TOI understands that the Dravid-led NCA is "unconvinced" about how they can conduct the fitness test when Bumrah was consulting his own set of specialists on the way to recovery after he was diagnosed with mild back stress in September this year and had also flown to the United Kingdom to consult doctors.

 

 

TOI has learnt that Bumrah had conveyed to the team management that he was "not keen" on going to the NCA.

 

 

TOI tried reaching Dravid and Kaushik for their comments but they were unavailable to comment. Bumrah too could not be contacted.

 

There were media reports in November about how Bumrah had been consulting private specialists as he tried to chart his return. Those who saw him in Visakhapatnam a few days ago say "he's worked his way back to supreme fitness and is looking very good". To quote a senior member of the team management "Bumrah is like a mountain now. That's how good he's looking after the recovery process".

 

 

After the net session in Visakhapatnam, Bumrah flew to Bangalore to be at the NCA where his fitness test was scheduled. Dravid is learnt to have met the bowler on Wednesday and told him that NCA would not be conducting the test. Dravid's views were based on the simple logic that "if NCA hasn't treated Bumrah, how can it give him a certificate that he's fit to play? What if tomorrow something happens? How can the NCA agree to certify something about which it doesn't have a clue?"

 

 

The NCA's earlier decision was to invite Team India trainer Nick Webb to Bangalore to conduct the test for Bumrah. However, Dravid conveyed to Team India's assistant trainer Yogesh Parmar that Bumrah's fitness test would not be conducted at the NCA. "They have told him, 'you're fine. So there's no need of a fitness test. You should go and seek it from the specialists you've been working with because they're the people who have been testing you and know your fitness status the best", sources said.

 

 

Bumrah's hesitation in heading to the NCA stems from the fact that some other players had not given a positive assessment about their experiences at the academy. In fact, some players called it "scary".

 

"He did not want to go there. Most senior players don't want to go to NCA. Instead of addressing that concern and understanding why players don't want to come there, the NCA is turning him away. That's not how we need to deal with a cricketer who's changed the face of India's pace bowling over the last two years. It was a sad day," add sources.

 

 

Meanwhile, sources at the NCA say "Rahul (Dravid) is still very new to the NCA. It's only been a few months since he's taken over. He's still trying to comprehend how things have been functioning at the academy. To be fair to the NCA, more than 200 cricketers from across the country come there to train and learn. It's not just about one or two individuals. Rahul is trying to put better systems in place".

 

 

However, right now, the bowler can't understand how exactly he is supposed to clear the mandatory fitness test, considering the NCA has refused him.

 

 

Bumrah's IPL franchise Mumbai Indians too have always ensured that the bowler is adequately taken care of. "All the little details of how the bowler is at any given moment in time have been so important that even the owners at Mumbai Indians have minutely followed every development," said those in the know.

 

https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/m.timesofindia.com/v/s/m.timesofindia.com/sports/cricket/news/nca-refuses-to-conduct-jasprit-bumrahs-fitness-test/amp_articleshow/72896075.cms%3famp_js_v=0.1&usqp=mq331AQCKAE%253D#ampf=

 

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[Malcolm Merlyn]

This is stupidity of the next level.

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[Ankit_sharma03]

3 minutes ago, Malcolm Merlyn said:

 

Bumrah's IPL franchise Mumbai Indians too have always ensured that the bowler is adequately taken care of. "All the little details of how the bowler is at any given moment in time have been so important that even the owners at Mumbai Indians have minutely followed every development," said those in the know.

 

One of the biggest advantage of IPL.....TM hve provided very good support as to early years when guys like irfan, balaji, nehra , Zak didnt have this luxury 

[nevada]

If he can pass the yo-yo test, then he is fit enough, isn't he? Leave the diagnosis, treatment and rehab to Bumrah's chosen crew. Just test out his fitness every week for a few weeks to certify that he is sustainably fit. 

[cowboysfan]

didnt narakotti go to NCA and has never been fit after that? they messed up Saha too,it may not be under Dravid but he needs to understand where the senior players are coming from.

[nevada]

35 minutes ago, cowboysfan said:

didnt narakotti go to NCA and has never been fit after that? they messed up Saha too,it may not be under Dravid but he needs to understand where the senior players are coming from.

There was also an issue with Saha. They misdiagnosed his issue or something like that. I hope Dravid can clean up the mess real soon. 

[New guy]

3 hours ago, cowboysfan said:

didnt narakotti go to NCA and has never been fit after that? they messed up Saha too,it may not be under Dravid but he needs to understand where the senior players are coming from.

Recently with bhuvi too. He has been out for so long and going to NCA where they kept treating him for multiple things. Around a week ago, he went to a different doctor who in one visit diagnosed that he had a sports hernia. Something like this should have been found at first visit to NCA. Bhuvi has been carrying this for over 3 months without being diagnosed and as a result kept getting injured again. This is the worst * up anyone can make

 

There is a reason both Shaw and Bumrah refused to go to NCA. There is zero trust among the players

[FischerTal]

IPL money makes a difference. players can seek their own rehab specialists instead of relying on the hacks at NCA that manage to screw up every player that comes to them.

[Cricwala]

In 2011 Kumble quit as NCA Director - https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21989877/anil-kumble-quits-nca-chairman

This is what Sarda Ugra says in the article - "There is little doubt that Indian cricket needs to alter, streamline and professionalise its injury-management system.." 8 years later, we are still grappling with same issues and our 'premier' cricket academy is still wallowing in the same pool of mediocrity. Whereas IPL teams have fully professional set ups - the stark sarkari vs private mindset difference.

 

Dravid joined NCA in July 2019, and being the nice guy he is, its quite possible that old crew at NCA is giving him the run around. Chief culprit appears to be the sifarishi Head Physio Ashish Kaushik -

 

 

See this from 2018 on Saha's bungled rehab -

https://circleofcricket.com/category/Latest_news/24595/nca-physio-ashish-kaushik-blamed-for-mishandling-sahas-worsening-shoulder-condition

 

"The National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru is still under scrutiny for bungling up Saha’s recovery process and in spotlight is the NCA physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik, who was also monitoring Saha's progress. As part of the blame game, a section of BCCI has raised the point that Kaushik has been outsourcing all medical diagnosis of players to a healthcare company of which he was a director around the time he joined BCCI last July. Also the doctor who suggested an ultrasound-guided injection for Saha, a sports physician, Dr. Srikanth Narayanaswamy was a co-director at the same healthcare clinic named YOS Healthcare Limited.

Ashish Kaushik replaced Andrew Leipus last year by BCCI and YOS Healthcare Limited was founded in February of 2017 with Kaushik as one of the directors and it is alleged that his wife has a stake in the company. The process of Kaushik’s appointment has become an issue. The board didn't follow the Lodha recommendations and didnt advertise for the post. No interviews were conducted. He was brought in on the recommendations of top BCCI officials."

 

The BCCI wheels go round and round...ex-players are worth giving a go in admin positions, but finally any appointment should be meritocratic and the appointee should be allowed to run things professionally.   

 

[rkt.india]

Right decision by NCA, IMO.

[rkt.india]

4 hours ago, sarchasm said:

Rahul Dravid, perhaps a bigger maadarjaat than Shastri himself.

Don't think dravid did anything wrong. 

[rkt.india]

NCA needs better specialists.

[New guy]

19 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

Right decision by NCA, IMO.

How? To access if someone is fit to play, you dont need their previous treatment history. How do they access fit people? Just put him through the regular tests and if he clears, he is fit to go

[maniac]

Taking a pay cut of a few crores and still getting a lot of crores for a job located right next to home and which has  no high stakes, pressure  or accountability  is not called sacrifice.

 

Well incompetence is self explanatory in the article itself 

[ShoonyaSifar]

The whole NCA system needs a rejig. 

 

On the NCA Physio using his own medical firm for injury assessment and treatment, where the f*** is that joker ex-Justice who is BCCI's Ethics Officer and sends out notices to legends at his whim on Conflict of Interest issue. 

[rkt.india]

Dravid has just joined NCA and people are blaming him for something which has been there before.

[rkt.india]

13 hours ago, New guy said:

How? To access if someone is fit to play, you dont need their previous treatment history. How do they access fit people? Just put him through the regular tests and if he clears, he is fit to go

Yes, you do need the history when it comes complicated medical treatments. Assessing fit people and someone coming out of a major injury are two different things.

[ShoonyaSifar]

2 hours ago, rkt.india said:

Dravid has just joined NCA and people are blaming him for something which has been there before.

Dravid is too soft to take the hard decisions of revamping NCA which seems to have become a cosy club of friends indulging in corrupt practices. The rot will not be limited to the physio. 
 

Ganguly will have to push Dravid to bring around the much needed transformation and set the systems and processes right.

[Cricwala]

going by the way NCA 'assessed' Bhuvi, someone they themselves treated, as fit only for him to be diagnosed with sports hernia just a few matches later - I wouldn't trust Kaushik & co's assessment of even a stray dog they treat. 

[Kothili]

On 12/20/2019 at 7:12 PM, rkt.india said:

Dravid has just joined NCA and people are blaming him for something which has been there before.

Chutes who don't know cricket blame ATGs.