BCCI’s Centre of Excellence chief VVS Laxman said moving patiently through required protocols is more important than trying to achieve a pre-set timeline in the rehabilitation process of injured cricketers.
In the last two years, top-of-the-line cricketers such as Rishabh Pant , Jasprit Bumrah , Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna spent several months at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which is now a CoE, to recover from their respective injuries, sitting out of some high-value matches.
But all of them returned to the field fully fit, and, more importantly, their skillsets remained intact despite months of inaction.
Laxman, who will continue to be at the helm for another one year after getting a tenure extension, detailed the process.
“There is a misconception that the timelines have to be met. I understand that sometimes you know that you will be fit in a particular time-frame, but sometimes the recovery won’t be there (in that time) or the result won’t be seen,” Laxman told a select media gathering at the CoE after its inauguration on Sunday.
Laxman said it’s important for players to be patient while going through the rehabilitation protocols.
“I think having patience to follow the protocols is very, very critical, but still sometimes the recovery can be a little late. We have seen Rishabh Pant ‘s case and we have seen Jassie ( Jasprit Bumrah ) being here, along with Shreyas, KL, Prasidh…a lot of players. They have really worked hard, showed patience and were rewarded,” he said.
The most vital part of the recovery period, Laxman said, was to remain mentally strong.
“The challenging part of the rehab is that the entire rehab will probably be for two-three hours in the whole day and the rest of the day they (players) have nothing to do.
“Here we are talking about elite sportspersons who actually are busy playing or training six to eight hours, and suddenly they realise that they are confined to the rehab room.
“Once they recover, they progress to the ground (at NCA), but it’s a maximum four to five hours. So, they are required to be mentally strong and not get frustrated,” he noted.
Pant, who suffered a life-threatening car accident two years ago, had been vocal about how he felt frustrated during his rehab due to lack of activity.
Laxman said players also need to understand the importance of healing completely before going back to the field.
“I have been in that situation because as a player when you know the shelf-life is very less, every day you want to be out there in the middle playing as much as possible.
