3 min readUpdated: Aug 12, 2026 01:11 PM IST
Former India batter Mohammed Kaif questioned why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world’s richest cricket body, has failed to appoint a head for sports science at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for over a year amid the national side’s current injury crisis.
India’s fitness situation has unravelled over the last fortnight, with several key international stars out injured ahead of the two-match Test tour to Sri Lanka. In a major blow to the side, India lost pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to injury despite the 32-year-old initially being named in the squad. Subsequently, batter Sai Sudharsan was also ruled out of the tour. All-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana are also contending with injury concerns alongside white-ball stars Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy.
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“There was a statement from VVS Laxman [CoE head] 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 on his YouTube channel.
‘We have so much money’
“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?
“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.
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In a recent press conference in Bengaluru, CoE head VVS Laxman revealed that the BCCI top brass had come close to appointing Nitin Patel’s successor as the Sports Science head at the CoE but failed.
“After Nitin left, we did not get anyone who could fill in that position. We had Andrew Leipus. Everything was agreed upon; in fact, Devajit had two or three meetings with him, but suddenly Andrew backed off at the last moment, citing family reasons. We conducted a full-fledged interview process with Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, Dr Ashish Soni, Dr Rohan Khavte, and me. We shortlisted five candidates, and the number one was an Australian. After selecting him, suddenly he backed out, saying he cannot move to Bengaluru,” Laxman told reporters last Sunday.