Chetan Sharma’s views do not reflect Team India’s fitness

Chetan Sharma has been in the news this week. The former Indian fast bowler, and the former chairman of the senior national selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is under a harsh spotlight for alleging that cricketers take injections to bridge fitness deficiencies, and claim they are 100 percent injury-free.

Sharma’s comments were recorded during a ‘sting’ operation undertaken by a news reporter. The 57-year-old, in a free-wheeling conversation, unaware that he was being taped, spoke on a range of issues from fitness to selection matters, and the prevalence of ‘ego’ in the cricket team. Since anything on cricket sells in India, the TV news channel which conducted this ‘sting’ went to town with prime-time discussions involving journalists, doctors, and cricketers. It is sure to have got some good TRP.

Also Read — Spilling beans: BCCI chief selector in sting controversy

Is there anything sensational or new in what Sharma said? Let’s recall a couple of recent incidents to get a clearer picture on fitness issues.

This week, Shreyas Iyer returned to the India team for the upcoming Test match against Australia in Delhi after working his way back to full fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. A back injury had ruled the talented middle-order batsman out from the limited overs series against New Zealand, and the first Test against the Aussies. The NCA serves as a one-stop shop for curing fitness and medical issues of all registered cricketers in India.

In the first Test at Nagpur, where India whipped Australia by an innings and 132 runs, Ravindra Jadeja, who also returned to the Indian team after a long injury-induced layoff, applied balm on the index finger of his bowling left arm. He was fined 25 percent of his match fees for applying the cream without informing the umpires.

Since the index finger plays a very crucial role in spinning the ball, there is natural wear and tear of the soft tissues. It is nothing uncommon for a player to apply a soothing balm or take a pain-killing cortisone shot.

Interestingly, Amul saw the funny side of things, and made a doodle asking ‘Jaddu to put his finger in butter only’. Media perceptions can vacillate from bizarre to intelligent.

To suggest that taking injections to relieve pain and inflammation in a specific area of an athlete’s body amounts to cheating is absurd. In every sport, athletes take medical help to cover up 15-20 percent injuries to deliver maximum performance. These are usually momentary or short-term, and done under medical supervision, and are generally acceptable by law. For bigger fitness issues, there are no shortcuts — long-term rehab is the only solution.

Sharma’s comments seem to have been blown out of proportion or taken out of context because to hint that Indian cricketers are taking performance-enhancing drugs and using masking agents to dodge doping tests is ludicrous. It is also suicidal if a cricketer does this to gain an unfair advantage in team selection. There is no shortcut to fitness. Clearly, injuries need time to heal, and can only happen after an athlete goes through a process to strengthen their muscles and return to full efficiency.

It must also be kept in mind that the International Cricket Council (ICC) and all its members like the BCCI, are all World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) compliant.

The WADA conducts random tests in international tournaments and series, and its affiliated units like the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) regularly checks for use of banned substances like anabolic steroids in national level competitions.

The BCCI also conducts drug tests, and has a panel of eminent doctors to deal with medical issues. There will always be drug cheats, but the risks are too high. Getting caught can lead to long bans and even complete banishment from cricket.

The BCCI have had issues with players’ workload management. The quantum of cricket played in modern times is simply humungous.

To remain fit throughout the year is a challenge. That is why top cricketing nations have started a rotation policy to keep players fit, both mentally and physically. India have also started this policy to offer ‘rest’ to senior players, and those prone to injuries. What a player like Virat Kohli or Hardik Pandya, heavily into commercial endorsements, does in that ‘rest’ period is not in the BCCI’s control.

What works in India’s favour is the large bench strength it has in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. Today, a Kohli or a Rohit Sharma is not indispensable. There is sufficient depth in India’s batting pool, and it is the same for all other departments of the game such as spin and pace.

This is the reason why Jasprit Bumrah has not been rushed back to international cricket. India can afford to give him the rest he needs to return to full fitness ahead of bigger challenges like the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.

Cricketers are smart. They look at long-term gains. The fitter they remain, the prospects of making a big fortune are higher. Taking an injection and saying all is fine is testing the efficiency of the BCCI’s administration and selection process. Prima facie, too much is being made of Sharma’s comments.

Soumitra Bose is a senior journalist and a research scholar.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.