BCCI's non existent injury management system and India's growing injury problems : Are things falling apart finally?

[Chandan]

I don't agree' date=' if we have a problem which needs sorting out, we need to look at places where it's reasonably managed and how they are doing. We can not ignore the 2-3 well maintained boards around the board and try to learn.[/quote'] So ECB bashing will solve the purpose here?

[rkt.india]

Vaaat? Vaat? :haha: We have increased Cowlasher bench strength :facepalm: Quality cricketers like Dravid, Lax, SRT, ZK, Kumble...didnt require IPL to increase bench strength

These cowlashers were there even before IPL, so whats your point. IPL does not have anything do in regards to cowlashers. Even Dravid, SRT, and Laxman cowlashes in IPL. IPL is only 4 yeas old and four years are not enough to change cricket. Our overall cricket quality was bad even before IPL in domestic cricket from players to pitches. There was no system even before IPL. Whatever good to great players we have found are just by sheer luck. Even if we did not have IPL, BCCI would not have done anything about the system. IPL at least has done good for FC players and aspiring cricketers that they can play with international cricketers and come in limelight if play well and under pressure situation which they usually find in international matches. If players are good, they will come even with the existence of IPL because IPL will only be there till we have a good national team that is performing well. As and when the team's goes down, IPL sponsorship and viewership will go down as well.

[Chandan]

Nowhere has he talked about the superiority of the ECB's system' date=' he just says that the FA (Football Association) has a chief medical office. I don't even think football and cricket is a good comparison.[/quote'] Yes. In this article he hasn't talked about ECB system. But I'm in contact with him on twitter and there he has told us about it. Hence I told all of not to bring ECB in this thread at all. Yet for some reason you brought it. I told you that thread was not for a comparision with what BCCI has and what ECB has. Yet some of you harped on that rather on paying attention to what the author had to say about the problem That is why I had to say what I did about ECB. Anyway, not discussing the topic in hand is the norm in ICF these days and it is almost foolish to expect a good discussion on the topic you start these days. Thanks.

[Chandan]

Nice spot. Why just stop at Indian cricket's medical/injury management system? What about grassroots systems? What about talent management? What about coaching systems? What about playing surfaces, scheduling and the whole lot? What sickens me is that people 'remember' these things and make noise about it only when India does badly. When India wins, everything is right with the world. A cricket team or just about any team in the world will move positively forward only when they learn from their victories. Not just from their defeats.

Just check the date of the article.

[rkt.india]

Yes. In this article he hasn't talked about ECB system. But I'm in contact with him on twitter and there he has told us about it. Hence I told all of not to bring ECB in this thread at all. Yet for some reason you brought it. I told you that thread was not for a comparision with what BCCI has and what ECB has. Yet some of you harped on that rather on paying attention to what the author had to say about the problem That is why I had to say what I did about ECB. Anyway, not discussing the topic in hand is the norm in ICF these days and it is almost foolish to expect a good discussion on the topic you start these days. Thanks.

This topic and talks about BCCI have been done and dusted so many times so this is nothing new. You are talking about injuries. BCCI does not even have good selection system in place. Selectors does not even know for which format they are selecting the team.

[achilles]

The moment BCCI realises that moneyflow will be affected if India becomes 2nd or 3rd, we shall see how fast, things change.

[Guest Gunner]

Yes. In this article he hasn't talked about ECB system. But I'm in contact with him on twitter and there he has told us about it. Hence I told all of not to bring ECB in this thread at all. Yet for some reason you brought it. I told you that thread was not for a comparision with what BCCI has and what ECB has. Yet some of you harped on that rather on paying attention to what the author had to say about the problem That is why I had to say what I did about ECB. Anyway, not discussing the topic in hand is the norm in ICF these days and it is almost foolish to expect a good discussion on the topic you start these days. Thanks.

I think you are going unnecessarily postal on me which I don't appreciate at all. I did not make the first post about the ECB and I am saying that again categorically. I am happy to stop posting on this thread. Thanks.

[Sir_Afridi]

:fail:

[Sachinism]

:fail:

Its not a system to magically prevent injuries :facepalm:

[jukkha]

Good move but there also needs to be system in place to keep resting players fit? ala Zaheer beer belly saga!

[Pagalpanti]

Finally players will be accountable for their fitness when they're not playing. It'll lead the players to stay fit even when they're not playing.

[thevortex]

Just check the date of the article.

Yes, I checked the date as well as the title:). This was in June of 2011. And he asks if the system is falling apart 'finally'? The point is there is no 'finally'. It was always broken. And this alone is too small a facet of Indian cricket to be talking about. It is not that this is insignificant. Far from that. But when you look into grassroots cricket in India, problems aplenty are apparent for which we dont have solutions as yet.

[Chandan]

Yes, I checked the date as well as the title:). This was in June of 2011. And he asks if the system is falling apart 'finally'? The point is there is no 'finally'. It was always broken.

The title was mine fotr this thread. The article is that of Venkat Ananth and his title is "A prescription for Indian cricket". This article was written when IPL ended this year and people were still too drunk on the WC success to read any of these articles which showed the mirror. My title is about the non existent injury management system, the team having reached to the top despite all the deficiencies, but are the things falling apart finally. Looks like you didn't bother to read the thread. Or perhaps read it with a preconceived notion.

And this alone is too small a facet of Indian cricket to be talking about. It is not that this is insignificant. Far from that. But when you look into grassroots cricket in India, problems aplenty are apparent for which we dont have solutions as yet

I know that this is just one problem. Don't think that the thread ever claimed that this was ONLY problem ailing Indian cricket. But we discuss each of those problems in separate threads. 1, Whether IPL is hurting Indian cricket 2. Whether Indian domestic cricket needs to change 3. Why Indian seamers regress after a brilliant start And many such problems. If you want to discuss any other problem which you think hasn't been discussed here, please start a thread and give your views.

[Chandan]

Here is an article both for IPL apologists as well those who think that the only problem ailing the Indian cricket at the IPL. Although this article was written one year, but each and every word still is as true and the solutions as relevent, for today too. Please read it. Of Burnouts, And Misplaced Priorities... Venkat Ananth, Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Not so long ago, the predominant narrative in the cricketing discourse revolved around "player burnout" or what is now today called as "exhaustion". It took the BCCI to splash some cash around to silence it and somewhere, the focus through the Indian Premier League (IPL) went towards "creating a global Indian product" at the cost of its content - the players. Now, in the typically circular fashion of cricket debates, "burnout" has resurfaced, with some Indian cricketers apparently upset with the calendar thrust on them -- a calendar driven not by sound logic but by the greed of those who matter, leaving the poor player with no choice except to follow the diktat. This re-visiting of the topic has predictably resulted in pro forma denials and a studied silence on the part of the Board -- a technique that body has perfected over the years. Player welfare In the modern era, given the way cricket is played and administered, player welfare becomes a critical, if not the most important aspect, of cricket administration. Sadly, the BCCI isn't up to it. Or let's just say partly so, given that in this country player welfare is by and large seen through the sole lens of financial security. That view is no doubt is important, but in the big picture it serves more as an illusion than something concrete. Financial security apart, the most important aspect of a sportsman's career is the accepted cycle of fitness and injury issues, and in today's circumstances that has become more acute than earlier. And this is where there is a need for the players to stand up and be heard on these issues -- especially the ones involving scheduling particularly of needless commercially-motivated adventures largely driven by pre-decided obligations. There might, from the Board's point of view, be an obligation to play Sri Lanka multiple times a year, for instance -- but from the players' perspective, the problem is that such tours, shoe-horned into vacant spaces on the schedule, fill their time with no-account contests and correspondingly reduce the time they have to work on their injuries, and on their skill sets. The need of the hour is a full-time players representation body that should be a radical departure from the now-defunct Indian Cricket Players Association, which was formed in 2002 with typically noble intentions. In the years since, however, its office-bearers became not just puppets, but the actual voices of the establishment. The body should be led by players who owe no allegiance to the board; the body should take a holistic view of player concerns - from safeguarding commercial interests to providing him with a forum to express his concerns without inhibitions or fear. The body must be headed by a former Indian captain of some repute - for example, Sourav Ganguly, who possibly might know a thing or two about these issues. Yes, it creates another forum -- but given the success of similar initiatives in England, Australia and South Africa, it should hopefully work in India, despite the Board's best efforts to stop such initiatives. In the long run, such a body might end up diluting the impact of, or negating altogether, the "Board-Player Agent" nexus that dominates Indian cricket today. Corporate influence My personal opinion is that the involvement of corporates with Indian cricket is a double-edged sword. Yes, money coming into the game is terrific, especially given the larger scenario of cricketers getting improved job security through honorary employment opportunities with these very corporates. But with events like the IPL and the Champions' League, the players also become victims of a relentless corporate ideology that not just demands better commercial returns for their engagement, but also expect results from individual cricketers at all cost. Simply put, an Indian cricketer, more or less fatigued with a comprehensive calendar of international cricket, is forced to ignore the demands of a body that screams for rest and recuperation and of a mind that tells him of the need to work on some basic skills, and appear for these franchises. And for those who think T20 cricket is all about running and bowling, or having a bat-out for 20 overs, there is an element of naivete about that thought. It's a far more intensive format, mentally and physically; add to that off-the-field engagements like excessive traveling and even commercial obligations for the franchise, and it must definitely take a toll on a cricketer's body/fitness levels, unless of course they're super-humans. I'm no sports science expert, but even speaking as a layman, one of the critical elements in fitness terms is "recovery", which these guys have no time for. The Board must take a hard look at its policies, revamp the contract system (I'll come to that later) and protect some of its top players for the larger international commitments. In my view, there should be a cap on the number of IPL matches they play for their franchises -- 5 or 6 at the maximum -- and at a larger level, there also needs to be a fitness program powered by the BCCI that takes the franchises into confidence, so that burnout and exhaustion is kept in check. The larger concern is, corporates eventually end up being de facto in influencing selections, which does not make sense when you consider the larger interests of Indian cricket. In fact, it sets up the risk of serious conflict of interest: the franchise wants its star players to play all games; from an Indian cricket point of view though, the Board might want some players rested occasionally because there is a big-ticket international tour/tournament immediately after the IPL ends [as happened with the T20 World Cup this year]. While franchises are entitled to seek its big-money players' presence in the playing eleven, a balance needs to be struck between that requirement, and the need for adequate rest so that the team playing in Indian colors is fully fit. Squad System Cricket is no more a 11-player game -- the proliferation of international and domestic/league commitments means that it is time to borrow from football, to think in terms of a "squad". Or in layman terms, it is necessary to put a balanced rotation-based policy in place. An international cricket team today needs to think of 22 quality players, two to each position, with replacements ready to slot in seamlessly. Ironically, this is exactly what Greg Chappell advocated during his stint as Indian coach. Unfortunately, the fashion was to label anything Greg Chappell proposed as "experimentation" -- a word that during that era somehow acquired a negative connotation -- and thus, we ended up throwing the baby of good ideas out with the bathwater. Such a policy of seamless rotation not only provides healthy competition for those in the first XI, it also permits the team to try out various permutations and combinations based on pitch and ground conditions and even the nature of the opposition. Take an example: recently, when Yuvraj was found unfit in the Test series against Sri Lanka, Suresh Raina had to make his debut as an emergency measure (that Raina did well is neither here nor there). Had there been a proper rotation policy in place, Raina would have been used in Tests before and the team would have had a good idea of what he could do; equally, had there been adequate rotation, Yuvraj would have had more time to recover from injuries rather than being rushed into the squad, thus risking aggravation of existing problems. Most importantly, a proper rotation policy based on the "squad" concept allows the team management to rest some of the members who might be fatigued. This is something the BCCI and Gary Kirsten should work on in tandem, given that Indian cricketers play more cricket in a calendar year than their counterparts. Revamped contract system Finally, the time is ripe for the BCCI to acknowledge that the present graded payment contract system, which came into existence in 2004, is well past its expiry date, and that an immediate reform/revamp is essential. The reason should be obvious: with the emergence of the IPL, the players are now employed by two entities where earlier, they were only employed by the BCCI. With individual players signed up with two entities, the risk of conflict of interest emerges, as mentioned earlier, to the detriment of the players' well being. The revamped contract system should be based on the English model, where centrally contracted cricketers are primarily employed with the ECB, which has the authority to take decisions that might be in the best interests of the cricketer and of English cricket. The classic case was the recently-concluded Twenty20 Cup in England, where some counties wanted their England players released to turn up for them. But thanks to the ECB, none of the fast-bowlers in particular turned out for their counties in these T20 games, barring one or two instances where there were commercial overtones. The net result was that the ECB ensured that the likes of Stuart Broad got plenty of rest through the early part of the English summer, keeping him fresh and match fit for the season ahead. This is where I sense an opportunity for India, given the multiplicity of obligations involving its employees. The time has come when the Board must start protecting and preserving its cricketers for the longer haul. A start could be in emphasizing that national commitments take precedence over IPL contracts. Effectively, this means that if the BCCI believes that a cricketer is struggling with an injury, it must put its foot down and insist that the player getting sufficient time for treatment, rest and recuperation takes priority over his turning up for franchise commitments. And also, keeping greed and private bilateral agreements aside, the time has come when the BCCI culls redundant tournaments, which serve no purpose except needlessly tiring the cricketers and putting off viewers for good.

[thevortex]

The title was mine fotr this thread. The article is that of Venkat Ananth and his title is "A prescription for Indian cricket". This article was written when IPL ended this year and people were still too drunk on the WC success to read any of these articles which showed the mirror. My title is about the non existent injury management system, the team having reached to the top despite all the deficiencies, but are the things falling apart finally. Looks like you didn't bother to read the thread. Or perhaps read it with a preconceived notion.

Whoa! Hold on. Read the article please. I pointed out the use of the word 'finally'. It still stands. The system was the same years ago as well. By the way, with all due respect to the author as well as yourself I believe that there are far bigger issues affecting Indian cricket than just the nonexistent injury management system.

I know that this is just one problem. Don't think that the thread ever claimed that this was ONLY problem ailing Indian cricket. But we discuss each of those problems in separate threads. 1, Whether IPL is hurting Indian cricket 2. Whether Indian domestic cricket needs to change 3. Why Indian seamers regress after a brilliant start And many such problems. If you want to discuss any other problem which you think hasn't been discussed here, please start a thread and give your views.

Thanks for the idea. Will follow through when I get a chance.

[Crookbond]

Shukla promises better injury management

In the light of the injury crisis India found themselves in on the tour of England, the BCCI has said it will remain in close contact with the IPL franchises to ensure players remain fit for national duty. "During our meeting with franchises we will emphasise that they pay most attention to these problems and give instruction to the team physios on injury management to avoid injuries," the new IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla told PTI. "We will be paying full attention to these problems, we will keep in touch with physios, and various franchises so that any injury should be immediately addressed." On a disastrous tour, where they were thrashed 0-4 in Tests and 0-3 in ODIs, India lost the services of Zaheer Khan on the first day of the first Test at Lord's. After playing in the IPL, Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the first two Tests due to an injured shoulder while Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar and Yuvraj Singh sustained injuries during the course of the series. Shukla defended the IPL, saying it shouldn't be singled out for blame for injuries caused to players, but said the board will take steps to ensure there is "perfect" co-ordination with the franchises over the players' fitness. "In my view, for injuries I don't think only IPL should be blamed as every team is facing such problems and lot many players got injured during the England series also, so I don't think IPL should be solely blamed for it," he said. "But at the same time, the management of injury problems is also on our mind and some concrete steps will be taken to minimise injury problems. There will be perfect coordination between BCCI and various franchises."

[Chandan]

Oh really? So let us see what are Shukla's plan?: IPL Franchises Should Report Injuries to BCCI: Shukla On guard after the Indian cricket team's injury crisis during its shambolic tour of England recently, IPL authorities have instructed the franchises to report any injury problem in their sides immediately to the BCCI. IPL boss Rajiv Shukla said he would try to create better coordination between the BCCI and the cash-rich league's franchises to ensure that players are well taken care of and are not found wanting in fitness on international assignments. Shukla said the franchises would be told to report players' injuries at the earliest to avoid any hassles later. "During our meeting with franchises we will emphasise that they pay most attention to these problems and give instruction to the team physios on injury management to avoid injuries," Shukla told PTI in an interview here. "We will be paying full attention to these problems, we will keep in touch with physios, and various franchises so that any injury should be immediately addressed," he said. IPL has often been blamed for causing player fatigue and injuries but Shukla said such allegations are unfair. "In my view, for injuries I don't think only IPL should be blamed as every team is facing such problems and lot many players got injured during the England series also, so I don't think IPL should be solely blamed for it," he said. "But at the same time, the management of injury problems is also on our mind and some concrete steps will be taken to minimise injury problems. There will be perfect coordination between BCCI and various franchises," he added. The IPL, which started with a bang, has dipped on television popularity charts, if only slightly, but Shukla said TRPs have been satisfactory. "The broadcasters were quite satisfied with the ratings. TRP is something which is analysed differently, everybody is entitled to have their own interpretation. "Despite the tournament being immediately after the world cup, there were good numbers of eyeballs and broadcasters were happy and since next year there is no world cup, the whole viewership will further enhance," he said. On the perception that he was selected IPL Chairman because he was a established politician and had good connections with the franchise owners, Shukla said, "I don't see my role, put into such kind of perception because I have given BCCI almost 19 years now, when I joined I was a journalist, I didn't join as a politician." "Gradually I changed my career but yes, I do maintain good relations with Bollywood also and all the franchise owners are good friends," he added. So what does Shukla think? Either he is a tubelight himself or thinks that the fans and public are stupid! Here are few of the points raised by journalist Venkat Ananth: Is the BCCI even serious? The physio of the national team was away on a vacation when the IPL4 happened. Who do they report injuries to? The physio at the NCA was reportedly employed with a franchise. How can one franchise report an injury to the physio of the other one? And when I spoke to them in April, they said in exact words "No need for a Chief Medical Officer or a Medical Committee. How will it change?" They need to have a nodal authority to whom every single physio in the country is responsible to. Ranji, IPL, NCA, National team etc. I really want to know who gave Gautam Gambhir (as a contracted player) the go ahead to play this slog-fest? KKR physio or BCCI physios? Or for that matter, when Harbhajan Singh declared himself fit for CLT20, was he put through rigorous tests by the BCCI? Prove fitness. After this England tour, its hard to trust a cricketer claiming "I am fully fit for all formats of the game." If you're fit, prove it. Right now, Idiot BCCI have a medical committee with a doctor (always abroad) and Rajeev Shukla in it. So Shukla is only trying to make a fool of fans, nothing else.

[saneindian]

So Mr. Shukla, was Gambhir given a fitness certificate by the NCA physio or has he once again taken the decision of decalring himself fit?

[Feed]

ECB ahead in fitness monitoring More... ECB ahead in fitness monitoring Nikhilesh Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times Bangalore, September 26, 2011 England are the No. 1 team in the world because they have the best fitness management programme among all cricket-playing countries, feels Evan Speechly, the South African physio of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The best that the rest can do is follow the English example, Speechly told HT on Sunday. India, it appears, have a long way to go. Ū am not surprised that England are No. 1 in the world, purely based on what their medical facilities are, said Speechly, who has been a physio for 27 years. Cricketers now play around the world for different teams. The ECB ensures it remains in touch with all physios under whom its players play. Ūf English cricketers come to my team like Kevin Pietersen or Eoin Morgan their physio or doctor will get hold of me, theyÃÃl tell me where the players shortcomings are and what exercises we need to do to ensure they donÃÕ break down, said Speechly. The same cannot be said of the BCCI however. Ū haven't heard a word from the BCCI about Virat Kohli, for example. I have no idea what his injury history has been over the last four months. And the same applies to AB de Villiers from South Africa, I don't know anything about him. In fact, cricket authorities in New Zealand and Sri Lanka have been more pro-active. ŵhe New Zealand physio has got hold of me about Daniel Vettori as did the physio for Sri Lanka about (Tillakaratne) Dilshan, said Speechly. However, Speecly can see positives in the way the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore has been functioning. ŵhey are working on it. It was nice to see Virender Sehwag (shoulder) and Ashish Nehra (finger) coming down here (for their rehab). Zak (Zaheer Khan; hamstring and ankle) will be coming here shortly. Cheteshwar Pujara (knee) is doing superb rehab here. I am very impressed that someone like 'Puj' is brought down here regularly and at BCCI's cost to ensure he follows proper rehab.

[Chandan]

So Mr. Shukla' date=' was Gambhir given a fitness certificate by the NCA physio or has he once again taken the decision of decalring himself fit?[/quote'] He took the decision himself it seems. This is the injury management Shukla is talking about. He thinks all the cricket fans are idiots. LINK I am 100 per cent fit: Gambhir Press Trust of India 26 September 2011 Hyderabad: Indian opener and Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir insisted that he has completely recovered from the concussion he sustained during the recent tour of England even though he was out for a duck in his IPL team's loss to Somerset in the Champions League Twenty20. "I am 100 per cent fit and that is why I was playing," he told reporters in the post-match press conference after the Kolkata Knight Riders lost to Somerset by five wickets last night. Gambhir, who didn't compete in the event's qualifying stages due to the concussion, said his team would look to rectify the mistakes made in the match against Somerset.