India's mounting injury list has thrust the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) into the spotlight, with a string of players across formats currently fighting fitness battles as the national team heads into a demanding phase of cricket.

Jasprit Bumrah is battling knee swelling and has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to fully recover from the knee injury he sustained during the England tour. He is joined on the sidelines by Sai Sudharsan, sidelined with a left big toe injury, while Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are recovering from hamstring problems and Washington Sundar remains unavailable with a quadriceps injury.

The sheer number of players missing or recovering from injuries has raised serious questions about India's injury management and rehabilitation system. The scrutiny has been especially intense around Bumrah, with the premier fast bowler central to India's plans in all three formats as the side looks towards the next World Cup while continuing its World Test Championship campaign.

Badrinath: 'COE is not a selector'

Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath has moved to clarify the CoE's role amid the scrutiny, stressing that the facility does not decide whether a player is selected. According to Badrinath, the CoE's responsibility is only to inform the team management about a player's physical condition and recovery, with the final call resting with the captain, coach and selectors.

"I don't know who made the decision. COE will not make the selection, right? They will just say he is in this state and can play these matches and his body is in this state. But I think the captain, coach, and selectors are taking the decision. COE only passes the information. They are not selectors," Badrinath said in a video on his YouTube channel.

He also cautioned against treating India's injury problems as a single issue, pointing out that the players affected have suffered very different types of setbacks, which makes it difficult to identify one common cause behind the growing list.

"I don't have an immediate answer to the root cause of so many injuries. It is important to see what kind of injuries these are. At high-level professional sport, injuries are common. Sai Sudharsan got hit by a ball, with Bumrah, it is a chronic injury because of being overused and fitness is not Sundar's forte, he is injury-prone. His fitness needs a lot of work. Management and monitoring is very important. Injuries are bound to happen and you cannot control it," he said.

Kaif 'surprised' by BCCI's struggle to hire top medical staff

The crisis has also drawn a sharp response from former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who has questioned how the world's richest cricket board has struggled to recruit leading medical and rehabilitation professionals.

The issue came into focus after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia travelled to Bengaluru to discuss the situation with CoE head VVS Laxman. At a press conference, Laxman revealed that the BCCI had approached several candidates for CoE roles, but some potential appointments fell through at the final stage.

That revelation surprised Kaif, who questioned how the BCCI, with its enormous financial resources, has been unable to bring some of the best medical professionals and physiotherapists into its setup.

"There was a statement from VVS Laxman that they had approached several people. Those things were being worked out, but at the last minute, they turned it down. So, what I am trying to say is that whatever is happening needs to be fixed. I am not an expert on this. The experts appointed by the BCCI need to do their job. But I am telling you that it is having a significant impact," Kaif said.

He admitted he was particularly puzzled given the financial strength of the BCCI and the appeal of working with Indian cricket.

"Now, I am surprised because so many people are eager to work with the BCCI. We have so much money that if we call someone, they will come running. They do, don't they? Just look at the players. Players leave their countries' matches to come and play in the IPL. They come, don't they?" Kaif said.

He further questioned why contracts with leading physiotherapists and medical experts had not been finalised.

"So, I was a little surprised that we haven't been able to work things out with some of the world's best physiotherapists and medical professionals and get them to work with the BCCI. I am surprised because we pay so much. We offer such good contracts. If someone comes and works here, they are bound to make a lot of money. They get paid very well," he added.

What's next for India

The timing is significant, with India heading into a two-Test series against Sri Lanka without several key players. The series begins in Galle on August 15. As the schedule continues across formats, rehabilitation and workload monitoring are becoming increasingly important, with the fitness of several crucial players now a pressing priority for the team management.