The reappear of ankle injury of Ishant Sharma has left the BCCI and National Cricket Academy (NCA) head physio Ashish Kaushik under the scanner. The 31-year-old pace bowler could miss the first part of the IPL as well if he needs to undergo rehabilitation again. Ishant joined the Indian team in New Zealand just before the first Test and bowled nearly 23 overs where he took a five-wicket haul. But he missed the second Test due to injury. Although The Indian team management has remained silent about this, according to sources in the BCCI, the same ligament injury on his right ankle has started troubling him again.
The BCCI media team issued a media release after 24 hours which didn’t mention anything except for the covering media in Christchurch already knew. A few questions have raised already in the BCCI circle with this latest injury fiasco as well.
“Once Ishant was ruled out for six weeks by the Delhi team physio after his scan reports revealed Grade 3, how did Kaushik and the NCA team come to conclusion that three weeks is good enough for return to competitive cricket?,” a BCCI insider questioned.
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The second question was if there is any push from the player himself to get fit in time for the Test series in New Zealand? While the third and the most important point is: how was the rehabilitation time that the team’s most senior pace bowler didn’t play a single competitive match, which is the rule for any player coming back into the national life from an injury?
Ishant Sharma had informed the media in Christchurch that he bowled 21 overs at the NCA in two days, after which he got the clearance of taking part in the competitive games. He, moreover, tweeted a picture of his with Kaushik, praising the NCA’s role in his rehabilitation as well.
Many in the BCCI thought this was positive publicity after some renowned India players, coming back from injury-induced breaks, asked for personal rehabilitation programme with their IPL franchises over the NCA. On the other hand, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had earlier shared that the NCA will be a one-point centre for all contracted players for their rehabilitation if they are recovering from injury.
