Table of Contents
Former India National Team cricketer Mohammad Kaif slammed the head of BCCI's Center of Excellence (CoE), VVS Laxman, amid the team's latest fitness-related issues. In the lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, multiple first-team players, including Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, are dealing with fitness-related setbacks due to injuries.
Addressing one of VVS Laxman's latest statements, Mohammad Kaif asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fix the matter as soon as possible. The former cricketer's comments on his YouTube channel came after India's warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket in Colombo.
Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan ruled out of the India vs Sri Lanka Test series
The Indian cricket team is currently in Sri Lanka to face the island nation's national side for a two-match Test series. Ahead of the series, the touring team has already sustained a couple of blows in the form of the fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and the top-order batter Sai Sudharshan.
Bumrah has been ruled out of the series because of a knee injury, and Sudharshan has been denied the flight to Sri Lanka for a toe injury.
Mohammad Kaif asks BCCI to immediately resolve the team's issue related to the players' injury
Alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharshan, other star players like Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and multiple other cricketers are in the list of injured players.
"There was a statement from VVS Laxman that they had approached several people. Those things were being worked out, but at the last minute, they turned it down. So, what I am trying to say is that whatever is happening needs to be fixed. I am not an expert on this. The experts appointed by the BCCI need to do their job. But I am telling you that it is having a significant impact," Mohammad Kaif opined in his video.
In the video, the 45-year-old Mohammad Kaif also mentioned that the Indian team management might have taken the injuries not too seriously. Highlighting the third year's third ODI match against England at Lord's, Mohammad Kaif said that if Jasprit Bumrah could have played the match, then the target might not have been 388.
The result of the India vs England ODI at Lord's could be different if Jasprit Bumrah could have played
The Men in Blue went to face the home team in London with a 1-1 scoreline. It was a three-match ODI contest, so to win the series, India had to win the match at Lord's. With Rohit Sharma's brilliant century, the touring team batted well, but in the end, they fell short.
"We are taking injuries too lightly. Bumrah didn’t play at Lord’s, and we conceded 387 runs. That was a crucial ODI. The series was tied at 1-1; it was the third and deciding match, and we conceded 387. So, I feel this is something that needs to be worked on. Everyone involved needs to sit down, put their full energy and focus into it, and find a solution," Mohammad Kaif stated in the same video.
