With an eye on managing players’ workload, providing them adequate rest and recovery time between series, and thus limiting the possibility of picking up injuries, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has promised a better-planned Future Tour Programme from the next cycle. Some of the proposed measures include chalking out the calendar in such a way that the players get more rest between series, and sufficient time to get acclimatised to conditions, more so in SENA countries, including warm-up games before series.

“We have instructed our FTP persons who will be meeting very soon in various international forums that our FTP should be in such a way that there is proper rest for the players as well as some kind of acclimatisation or friendly matches before any major series in SENA countries,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told media after a meeting with captains Shubman Gill (Test and ODIs), Shreyas Iyer (T20Is, coach Gautam Gambhir and head of Centre of Excellence (COE) VVS Laxman. Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, couldn’t attend the meeting due to prior commitments.

In the review meeting held in the board headquarters here to discuss the roadmap of Indian cricket in an important season, they discoursed the frequent incidence of injuries, possibly due to a packed calendar. Saikia admitted: “Individual players are having injuries because they have to play a lot of matches. If you look at their schedule, in England, three-four players of the 15-member ODI squad got injured. We have to think that they have played two months of IPL before that. All this takes a toll on the health of the players.”

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The schedule is not getting kinder, with India set to feature in seven Tests, 14 ODIs, and 16 T20Is, apart from the Asian Games, until the next IPL in late March. The board, though, has assured the team management and its captains that they will plan better so that players get sufficient rest. “To avoid those kinds of situations under the present FTP, we are trying to find some ways out. We have a protocol in place for how a player can come back to international matches after injury. We are taking feedback from the captains and head coach to chalk up a proper strategy to avoid these unwanted situations,” the secretary assured.

He also asserted that, “everybody is on the same page.” “BCCI is working very well, like a well oiled engine. There is proper coordination amongst all the wings of BCCI, whether it is women’s teams committees or their technical staff or their coaches, vis-a-vis the COE, vis-a-vis the Indian men’s team’s coaching staff and the head coach. There is no difficulty in the coordination, everything is moving in the right direction.”

“The only challenge we are facing is that there are too many matches in the year and that is why in the next FTP, we will do certain things. We will take certain measures,” he added.

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Stop Rohit speculations

The board secretary defused speculation on former captain Rohit Sharma’s future. “He is playing superbly in all matches. So what more do you want? Last match he scored 138 runs so why is there speculation? I do not want to give some fodder for the speculators,” he said, stubbing rumours that he was not in the selectors’ scheme for the World Cup in southern Africa later next year.

He also said they didn’t discuss the future of Agarkar, and clarified that the talks revolved only around the roadmap for the 2027 World Cup. “Today he was out of station. He could not be a part of the meeting because this meeting was called at a very short notice, and our head of the selection committee was not in town, so he could not join it. He was in such an area that he could not join online also, in spite of all these efforts,” he said.

No issues in Asian Games

Regarding concerns on facilities and accommodation in Asian Games, he said: “We are not going to have any difficulties in Japan.” There were reports that the cricketers had raised complaints about being put up in container villas of cruise ships. But the secretary said: “If any kind of situation arises, we’ll take an appropriate call at the right time, so that we ensure that our players and the support star will get the best of facilities in Asian Games, whether it is from their organisers or us. If required, BCCI will have its own system in place to provide the best facilities to our players,” he replied.

Meanwhile, three bowlers—Rasikh Salam, Kartik Tyagi and Vicky Ostwal will travel with the Indian team to the Asian Games.