The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly changed its approach to player selection and fitness after facing criticism over the inclusion of players who were not fully fit for international assignments.
The development comes after several Indian players were selected for national duties despite ongoing fitness concerns, only to miss matches later because they failed to recover in time. The issue has raised questions about the way the BCCI and its Centre of Excellence handle player fitness and injury management.
The latest example came with the squad announced for India’s upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana were included in the squad, but their selection was made subject to fitness clearance. The BCCI officially marked all four players with an asterisk to indicate that they must pass their fitness tests before being available for the series.
According to a report, the BCCI now wants to be even more certain about a player’s fitness before relying on his availability. A source familiar with the matter reportedly said the board wants to be “200 percent” confident about a player’s fitness before finalizing his availability for an assignment.
The change follows growing concerns over players being selected while recovering from injuries. Bumrah, Sundar, Reddy and Rana have all faced fitness-related issues in recent months, making their conditional inclusion in the Afghanistan squad a major talking point.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has previously explained that squads are often selected three to four weeks before an international series. A player who is not fully fit at the time of selection could recover within the following 21 to 28 days and become available before the series begins. This is why the board sometimes keeps such players in the squad subject to fitness rather than ruling them out completely.
The upcoming Afghanistan T20I series is scheduled to begin on September 13 in New Delhi, with the second and third matches set for September 15 and 17. The same squad will also travel to Japan for the Asian Games later this month.
BCCI’s new approach is aimed at reducing uncertainty around player availability and avoiding last-minute changes to the squad. The Centre of Excellence is also expected to take a more cautious approach, particularly when dealing with players returning from injuries.
The policy could give fitness a greater role in India’s selection process, with the board appearing determined to avoid rushing players back into international cricket before they are fully ready.