The recurring injuries to several India fast bowlers forcing them to head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru has been termed ‘frustrating’ by Ravi Shastri who has questioned their fitness standards.
His comments have come after Deepak Chahar picked up a hamstring injury during Chennai Super Kings’ seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023.
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Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out Shastri sarcastically predicted that ‘few’ of the bowlers have been permanent residents of the NCA and they soon will get a permit to walk in at the facility any time they want to.
“Let’s put it this way: there are quite a few in the last three or four years who are permanent residents of the NCA,” Shastri said. “Soon, they’ll get a resident permit there to walk in any time they want, which is not a good thing at all. It’s unreal.”
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“Come on, you’re not playing that much cricket to be injured again and again. I mean, you can’t play four matches on the trot. What are you going to the NCA for? If you are going to come back and then three matches [later] you’re back there. So make sure you get fit and come once and for all because it’s damn frustrating. Not just for the team, the players, the BCCI, the captains of the various [IPL] franchises. It’s annoying, to say the least,” Shastri added.
Chahar has been battling various injury concerns over the past 18 months and he had admitted dealing with them was becoming mentally tough.
In February last year, he suffered a quadricep injury and while undergoing recovery for that, picked up a back issue which was later revealed to be a stress fracture. After recovering, he made his return on the Zimbabwe tour in August before being laid low by a stiff back.
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Another comeback followed during the Bangladesh tour in December and he went off the field after bowling three overs due to a quadricep tear.
He made his competitive return in Ranji Trophy before turning out for CSK in IPL 2023.
“I can understand a serious injury, but every four games when someone touches his hamstring or someone touches his groin, you start thinking what are these guys… what are they training, what’s going on. And some of them don’t play any other cricket in the year. It’s just four overs [in the IPL], man, three hours. The game is over,” Shastri said.
Besides Chahar, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini and newcomers Kuldip Sen and Mohsin Khan have also been dealing with fitness struggles of their own.
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