The CoE currently has several important Indian players working their way back to full fitness
Published: August 9, 2026, 4:48 PM IST
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https://www.india.com/sports/vvs-laxman-defends-bcci-centre-of-excellence-says-players-are-not-machines-8497222/
File photo of VVS Laxman(Credits: IANS)
BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) chief VVS Laxman has defended the facility amid questions over the recovery time of several Indian cricketersLaxman said the CoE should not be blamed when players take longer than expected to return from injuries, pointing out that the human body does not always follow a fixed timeline.
Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and Sai Sudharsan are among the Indian players currently recovering from their respective injuries at the CoE in Bengaluru.
Laxman stressed that the CoE is not only a rehabilitation centre but also has a wider role in helping players improve their overall performanceHe also said there is close coordination between the CoE, team management and the sports science and medical staff.
“See, CoE is not just a rehab centre, but there are bigger roles to play for it in helping cricketers achieve excellenceSo, we don’t like to use the term ‘blame’ (for injuries) because when you’re using that term, then you’re finding someone as a scapegoat,” Laxman told select media at the CoE.
“But there’s brilliant coordination between the CoE and the team management of both the teams (men and women) and the SSM staff of both the teamsSo that communication is happening seamlessly.”
The former India batter explained that recovery timelines are based on medical assessments, but they can change depending on how a player responds to treatment and rehabilitation.
“This is where I think it’s very important to understand that the guidelines and the timelines are given based on what you expectBut it’s the human bodyIt is not a machine where the timelines will always be met,” he said.
Laxman added that a player’s workload is increased only after checking his progress at each stage of rehabilitation.
“So there’s a continuous process of understanding how a player is progressing and based on that, the load is increasedSo that’s a process from the time they are diagnosed with the injury to the time they leave the CoE and declare fit,” he explained.
Laxman also spoke about Bumrah and Sudharsan, who were picked for India’s upcoming Sri Lanka tour subject to fitnessHe explained how the CoE shares regular updates with the selectors and coaching staff.
“Now you’re talking about Bumrah and Sai SudarshanThe process is that the selector reaches out to the CoE asking for the fitness status report and we collect it and send it to the selection committee chairman or chairperson in women’s selection committee with a copy to the head coach of both the teams and the BCCI,” Laxman said.
“Now Bumrah and Sudarshan, there’s always an asterisk against their nameIt means subject to fitnessSo Bumrah and Sudarshan were going to be picked for Sri Lanka subject to fitness clearance.”
He added that the CoE continues to monitor players and informs the selectors if their recovery is slower than expected.
“As I told before, we assess them, move them from one stage to the next stage and if the progression is slow, you communicate to the selection committee chairman and the head coach, which is happening seamlessly, and they understand that they’re not yet ready to participate in an international series,” Laxman said.
The CoE currently has several important Indian players working their way back to full fitnessBumrah remains one of the biggest names among them, while all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar are also undergoing rehabilitationFast bowler Harshit Rana is another player working at the facility, while Sudharsan has been recovering from his injury there as well.
Laxman believes injuries are an unavoidable part of cricket, particularly at the highest levelThe CoE’s focus, he said, is to make sure players return only when they are ready rather than rushing them back to meet a pre-set deadline.
