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These four players include Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar. The final seal on his fitness has not been given yet. It is believed that after the incidents of hastily fielding players returning from injury in recent months and their re-injury, BCCI has now adopted a more cautious strategy.

Why is BCCI so cautious about fitness?

In the recent past, many players were included in the team early after injury, but their fitness was again affected. After this, BCCI and team management no longer want to take any kind of risk regarding the availability of players. According to Cricbuzz, a source said, “They want to be not just 100 per cent, but 200 per cent sure about a player’s availability before releasing him.”

Why did Harshit Rana’s fitness become an important issue?

Harshit Rana, who was away from cricket for about five months due to a knee injury, made a comeback to international cricket during India’s tour of Ireland and England earlier this year. He participated in all the five T20 International matches played on the tour. However, due to fitness issues, he was ruled out of the three-match ODI series against England. Prince Yadav was included in the team in his place, now he has been selected for the T20 series against Afghanistan, but with the condition of fitness clearance.

Why did Jasprit Bumrah’s case increase concern?

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is also going through a similar situation regarding fitness. He played two out of three ODI matches against England. After this he had to lead the Indian fast bowling attack in the Test series to be held in Sri Lanka. However, even before the start of the tour, Bumrah was dropped from the team and Auqib Nabi was included in his place. After this, now the condition of fitness clearance has been imposed against his name for the Afghanistan series.

Why were questions raised on BCCI’s Center of Excellence?

Due to increase in the number of injured players and many players being out of the team at the last moment, questions are being raised on the functioning of BCCI’s Center of Excellence (COE). Indian players turn to this center to recover from injuries and for rehabilitation. However, after the recent incidents, the team management is now taking more care regarding the fitness of the players. Before including a player in the team, an effort is being made to gain more confidence about his ability to play matches.

What is BCCI’s plan?

BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia had clarified last month why the selection committee sometimes selects players who are not fully fit. He said, “Our selection meetings take place at least three to four weeks before the team leaves. So, we don’t know the exact condition of the player three or four weeks before. That’s why the star is put on the basis of fitness because the player is going through the rehab process. If he is fit within 21 or 28 days, he will be included in the team.”

He further added, “So we don’t reject them outright, because they are not fit on the day of selection but they may be fully fit by the time they need to travel or play a match. So, in such a situation, we always keep their fitness in mind. We also don’t deprive the player, and it is difficult to say whether they will be fit within 21 days or not.”