The National Cricket Academy of the BCCI and the IPL franchisees “in tandem” would monitor the workloads of important India players during IPL 2023, especially those who have a history of injuries. This is in conformity with the BCCI’s new strategy for controlling player workloads in the run-up to the World Test Championship final in June and the 50-over World Cup in October and November, if India qualifies.
Following a review conference held in Mumbai on Sunday to evaluate the senior men’s team’s World Cup road map, the BCCI offered a number of suggestions, one of which was the idea to have the NCA collaborate with the IPL clubs during the 2023 edition of the competition.
The team’s performance in 2022 was one of the topics covered, and it included the Test series loss in South Africa, the fifth Test loss in England (from the incomplete series the previous year), the failure to qualify for the T20 Asia Cup final in the UAE, the semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup in Australia (with a ten-wicket loss to England), and the most recent ODI series loss in Bangladesh.
The meeting was attended by the selection committee chair Chetan Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid, regular all-format captain Rohit Sharma, BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah, NCA head VVS Laxman, and secretary Jay Shah.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the management of workload and injuries was extensively examined, particularly after many important players missed a large amount of games in 2022 due to injuries. Rohit made a reference to it when he voiced his unhappiness with players constantly pulling up with ailments despite being deemed fit during the ODI series loss in Bangladesh.
Rohit had stated, “We need to try and figure out what’s going on.” “I’m not sure what it is specifically. Maybe they’re playing cricket too much. Because it’s crucial to recognise that when they arrive for India, they must be 100%, if not more than 100%, we need to try and keep an eye on those men.”
According to reports, there was discussion on the instances of Deepak Chahar, who was sidelined for a significant portion of 2022, Jasprit Bumrah, who is healing from a stress fracture in his back, and Ravindra Jadeja, who is rehabilitating from an ankle injury.
It is believed that the NCA’s medical staff has produced a road map for managing workload and injuries. A customised fitness and workload roadmap will be created for each player in the central pool in accordance with the new strategy, and work on it has already started.
In addition to Yo-Yo tests, the NCA panel also suggested the use of Dexa scans to offer an additional “scientific layer” of testing before evaluating whether players are fit to play, in the words of a BCCI official.
The Dexa scan, a ten-minute examination that measures total body fat and provides a precise breakdown of bone mass, adipose tissue, and muscle in the body, is the gold standard for determining body composition and bone health worldwide.