It is more important to be match fit than gym fit, says Sunil Gavaskar

India is currently managing injuries to several key players including Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana. The injury situation has sparked significant debate about training methods and the role of the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in player management. Concerns have been raised about the coaching staff and selection committee's approach to injury prevention and player fitness protocols.

Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain, addressed the injury crisis in his column, offering a detailed assessment of the problem. The cricket legend identified a pattern in the types of injuries affecting the squad and questioned whether current training practices are contributing to the recurring setbacks.

"While Bumrah has a knee injury, it is seen that most Indian players suffer from hamstring injuries. Clearly, there’s something wrong with their training, and that’s why these recurring hamstring injuries. These injuries happen when they are playing for India, but unfortunately, the blame is put on the physios at the BCCI centre of excellence," Gavaskar wrote in his column Mid-Day.

"The so-called biomechanics, where a bowler can bowl only so many deliveries in the practice nets, is a questionable practice. Even in the IPL, it is learnt that some of the overseas physios don’t allow the bowlers to bowl more than 20 balls in the nets. If in the match you will be bowling 24 balls, that is, if you don’t bowl no-balls and wides, then how is bowling a lesser number in the nets going to help?," he added.

Gavaskar also questioned the need for players to put in the hard yards in the gym day in and day out, arguing that being match-fit is more important. He also called for greater scrutiny to determine why these setbacks keep occurring.

"It’s an issue that needs a good, hard look at why these injuries are happening again and again. It is more important to be match fit than gym fit. But then, maybe I am from a generation that had different ideas on fitness," wrote Gavaskar.

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Recently, after India’s ODI series defeat against England, captain Shubman Gill expressed frustration over the rising number of injuries, saying it does not augur well for the team when they are forced to change the playing XI repeatedly. Citing the upcoming World Cup as an example, Gill said players will need to feature in nine to ten matches during the tournament and questioned how that would be possible if they are currently unable to play two or three matches consistently.