NCA Physio Ashish Kaushik Caught in Crossfire in Wake of Wriddhiman Saha's Shoulder Injury

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) bold step on Sunday (July 22) regarding the timeline of wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha’s injury on its official website, has landed the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik in troubled waters.

The Indian gloveman Saha was initially sidelined with a thumb injury which he had sustained in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Bengal-based cricketer Saha subsequently missed the final of the lucrative Twenty20 competition. He also didn’t feature in the historic one-off Test against Afghanistan. But he was expected to be fit in time for the upcoming Test series against England.

However, the 33-year-old Saha is now set for a longer spell on the sidelines owing to a shoulder injury that was recently made public by the BCCI.

As a result, there are questions raised over the rehab system at the NCA. And amidst all this, physiotherapist Kaushik has found himself in the crossfire.

Ashish Kaushik was the one monitoring Saha’s progress. As of now, nothing is clear as to what is the real reason behind Saha’s injury.

For the time being, each party blames one another and now a section of BCCI has raised the point that Kaushik has been outsourcing all medical diagnosis of players to a healthcare company named YOS Healthcare Limited.

Interestingly, Kaushik was a director of the company around the time he joined BCCI in July, last year. So much so, Dr Srikanth Narayanaswamy, a sports physician who advised an ultrasound-guided injection for Saha, has been a co-director at the same healthcare clinic.

The BCCI had roped in Kaushik after Andrew Leipus had to leave due to conflict of interest. And now, Kaushik can also face the same issue.

On the other hand, the company YOS Healthcare Limited came into existence in February 2017 with Kaushik as one of the directors. It is alleged that his wife has a stake in the company.

Ever since Ashish Kaushik took charge at the NCA, all players are referred to YOS Healthcare for an initial checkup.

“The likes of Jayant Yadav, Axar Patel, Krunal Pandya have all been treated at the same clinic, last year. Kaushik may not be a director there anymore but he keeps sending the players there,” a BCCI official told The Times of India.

“There are senior doctors in Mumbai who specialize in sports medicine and have treated senior India cricketers before. Kaushik used to work under them. Saha was eventually sent to the renowned doctor. Why wasn’t he sent there in the first place?” the official asked.

Kaushik had built a good rapport with the players when he was serving as the physio. And recommendations from several quarters played a big role in his appointment.

Now, it looks like the appointment process will once again face fierce questions.

The BCCI went against the Lodha recommendations to appoint Kaushik. The board did not advertise for the post and roped in Kaushik on the recommendations of top BCCI officials.