Injuries, particularly to fast bowlers, are an occupational hazard and no high-performance system can promise a player will never break down. But that’s exactly the kind of challenge the CoE was set up to handle.
The facility in the outskirts of Bengaluru houses the country’s top physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches and medical experts. It is meant to ensure that injured players not only recover but also return to international cricket with minimal risk of recurrence.
Recent cases, however, have raised doubts about that process.
Every time Bumrah breaks down, the questions return. Were there warning signs? Was his workload monitored closely enough? Could his comeback have been handled differently? Or was this simply unavoidable?
Bumrah isn’t the only one. Over the past year, several players have broken down soon after being cleared by the CoE. Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are among the prominent examples.
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People familiar with the rehabilitation process say Harshit returned before reaching his target weight because the team management was keen to have him available. Similarly, Reddy has had recurrent injuries despite following CoE protocols, as he tries to establish himself as a fast bowling all-rounder.
With the BCCI expected to conduct an assessment meeting in Mumbai later this month, these questions are likely to arise. Sources indicate that the Board officials could also assess the situation at the CoE, which has been without a head of medical staff since Nitin Patel left months ago.
Every injury is different. Taken together, however, these cases have prompted questions over the CoE’s rehabilitation protocols, fitness benchmarks and, perhaps most importantly, how players transition from rehab to international cricket.
To lay every injury at the CoE’s doorstep would be unfair. Fast bowling places extraordinary stress on the body, and even the most sophisticated systems in Australia, England or South Africa have seen world-class quicks such as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood endure long spells on the sidelines.
As one senior coach put it, “Sports science can reduce risk, but it cannot eliminate it.”
However, what makes Bumrah’s case different is his value to Indian cricket. He is the leader of the attack across formats, and every time he is unavailable, the team’s plans have to be redrawn. His rehabilitation isn’t just a medical process; it directly affects India’s plans across formats.
Bumrah’s latest setback may well have been unavoidable. But until India’s premier fast bowler can stay on the field consistently, the questions surrounding the CoE aren’t going away.
Published on Aug 02, 2026
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