VVS Laxman Gives Strong Reply Amid Growing Injury Concerns: 'CoE Not A Rehab Centre'

Board of Control for Cricket in India's Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman said the facility has a broader responsibility than merely rehabilitating injured players and stressed the importance of monitoring systems in preventing and managing injuries.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Laxman said injuries are an inevitable part of a sportsperson's career and ruled out assigning blame when players suffer setbacks.

"CoE is not a rehab centre. There's a bigger responsibility and mandate given by the BCCI," Laxman said.

"Injuries are part and parcel of any player's career. That's why the monitoring system is very critical. And we don't use the term blame; then we will be trying to find scapegoats," he added.

Amid concerns over the recent spate of injuries, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia met Laxman on Sunday to review the rehabilitation and injury-management programme at the facility. Saikia also attended the press conference along with BCCI president Mithun Manhas and other senior officials.

Laxman also spoke about the vacant position of Head of Sports Science and Medicine (SSM) at the CoE, saying the BCCI has faced difficulties in finding a suitable candidate for the role.

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He said the position requires not only stature and experience but also an understanding of Indian cricketers and their requirements.

"After Nitin (Patel) left, we couldn't fill his shoes. Everything was agreed upon; Andrew (Leipus) backed off citing family reasons," Laxman said during the press conference.

He added that the BCCI had shortlisted five candidates for the position, but the leading candidate, an Australian whose name he did not disclose, eventually withdrew after deciding he could not relocate to Bengaluru.

"We shortlisted five candidates; No. 1 was Australian, can't name him. He suddenly backed out, saying he can't move to Bengaluru. It's not a consultant role. You want the person to be there. It's day-to-day monitoring," Laxman said.

Laxman further said that in the absence of a Head of SSM, the vertical heads at the CoE have stepped up to handle the responsibilities.+ 

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"Another professional, head of All Blacks... he agreed and backed out. To fill in that position, not just stature and experience, but understanding of Indian cricketers is important. With the Head of SSM position not filling, the vertical heads have stepped up," he said.

The remarks come amid growing concerns on the CoE's injury-management programme.

Indian players Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who are injured, are among the players currently undergoing rehabilitation at the facility, with all being ruled out from the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, starting from August 15.

Apart from this, the CoE is also handling the rehabilitation of several white-ball specialists, including Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Prince Yadav.

Meanwhile, India are currently fifth in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.