The rising number of injuries in the Indian team is a matter of concern but skipper Rohit Sharma does not expect any of the national team players to miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches starting March 31 as part of workload management.
From Jasprit Bumrah to Shreyas Iyer, the national team’s injury woes keep mounting and Rohit said the responsibility of managing the workload ahead of the ODI World Cup at home in October-November will be on the IPL franchise owners and the players themselves. After Australia lost the third and final ODI by 21 runs and lost the series 1-2, Rohit told reporters, “It is worrying. We are missing players who really had to be in the playing XI.
“They (players) are all adults. So they can take good care of their body and if they feel cricket is getting too much, they can talk about it and take a game or two off. Well I doubt that will happen.
The IPL ends on May 28, leaving Indian players with just over a week to play in the World Test Championship final, starting June 7 at the Oval in London.
Rohit said that in view of the 50-over World Cup, the Indian team management has given signals to the IPL franchise owners regarding the workload management of the players. He said, “It all depends on the franchisee now. The players are now owned by the franchise, so we have given them hints to some extent. Ultimately it will be the decision of the franchise and most importantly it is the responsibility of the players to take care of their bodies.
India did not have the services of Bumrah for the entire bilateral series against Australia while Iyer’s back injury flared up during the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad and he missed the subsequent ODI series. Rohit said, “To be honest, everyone is trying their best to keep the players fit. We are paying a lot of attention to player management and that is why we have rested some players in between.
He said, “We are trying our best to manage his workload. I am not an expert who can tell you why the injuries are resurfacing. Our medical team is taking care of it and trying to ensure that our best 15 players are ready till the World Cup. Kolkata Knight Riders captain Iyer is unlikely to play in the opening matches of the IPL.
Rohit said, “Obviously when you play a lot of cricket there are chances of getting injured. So without paying too much attention to it, you can control only those things which are in your hands. Players are also disappointed when they get injured. He wants to play so it’s sad but at the end of the day there’s not much you can do about it.”
