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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) has reportedly treated 32 top Indian men's cricketers over the past year or so as injuries continue to trouble the national team.
The number of players visiting the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru has increased after the Indian Premier League 2026 season, raising fresh concerns about the fitness of India's top stars. Earlier, Shane Watson identifies Gautam Gambhir’s biggest problem as India struggle for consistency.
BCCI increases Centre Of Excellence budget
The BCCI has reportedly increased the budget of the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru by nearly ₹35 crore to deal with this situation. In the previous financial year, the CoE budget was ₹92 crore, which has now increased to ₹127 crore in the current financial year.
The Indian cricket board is now paying extra attention to the injury management after head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill raised concerns over players getting injured frequently.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other India stars visit BCCI CoE
As reported by Times of India, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have also visited the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehabilitation over the past year.
Rohit went there earlier this year to recover from a hamstring injury, while Kohli visited the rehabilitation centre for the first time this year.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are also among the regular visitors to the Centre of Excellence.
However, the report did not reveal how many times each player has visited the CoE for treatment. Amid this, Is Bhuvneshwar Kumar in India’s 2027 World Cup plans? Ajinkya Rahane makes revelation.
68 Indian players treated in 20 months
The report further revealed that 68 players, including men and women, have received treatment at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru over the past 20 months. Most of these cases involved soft-tissue injuries, which affect muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was the only player mentioned with an impact-related injury after suffering a fractured foot during the Manchester Test last year on the England tour.
With player injuries increasing, the BCCI has invited applications for the full-time head of Sports Science and Medicine at the Centre of Excellence. For now, Dhananjay Kaushik will continue to manage sports science operations under the supervision of CoE head VVS Laxman.
Wasim Jaffer wants Mohammed Shami back in Indian Team
Meanwhile, the former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer has questioned why Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are not getting regular chances in the Indian team. He feels Shami deserves a place in both the Test and ODI teams, especially with the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 approaching.
Jaffer believes India should depend on Jasprit Bumrah, Shami and Siraj as their main fast-bowling options and consider rebuilding after the World Cup 2027. The cricket pandit also wants Shami to return to Test cricket, as he has been waiting for the pacer's comeback for a long time.
He said on his YouTube channel, "I would like to see Shami make a comeback in tests. I have been looking forward to it for a long time. My focus will be on Shami and Auqib Nabi whenever the team is announced. If Shami is neglected here, I feel the door will be closed on him.”
