Bumrah was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, as he picked up 32 wickets in the five Test matches. However, the pacer got injured during the Sydney Test, forcing him to leave the field. Some discomfort on his back prevented him from taking the field when Australia was chasing their target in the second innings.

Ex-BCCI S&C head Ramji Srinivasan urged the Indian selectors to not rush Bumrah for the Champions Trophy 2025.
“Bumrah is a treasure and he should be handled with care. A Champions Trophy is not the end of the world. If there is the slightest doubt, he shouldn’t be in the squad. Five back-to-back Test matches isn’t something he has ever played in his cricketing career,” Srinivasan said.

“I agree that if it is only spasms, he should be fit. In fact, he might be feeling alright even before he boarded the flight back home. But, I am not so sure about it. The injury is related to stress, which is a direct result of playing too much cricket. If it is anything between a Grade 1 to Grade 3 injury related to stress fracture, it can take up to one to six months of recovery,” he added.

Despite Bumrah’s dangerous bowling, Indian team failed to keep the BGT title, as they lost the series 3-1. The Indian team is currently preparing for the England ODI series, which is going to be the last assignment for the team before the Champions Trophy 2025. Bumrah will mot likely miss that series because of workload management.

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According to a report by The Times of India, a former India pacer who suffered from the same injury stated that if it indeed is a back spasm then Bumrah should be fit for the ICC event, however if it turns out to be a grade 1 fracture, then Bumrah may spend a lot of time on the sidelines.

“It does depend on the final diagnosis of the injury. Back spasm is normally an orange light, it tells you that something worse could be in store and you need to stop at that point… Having suffered a lower back stress fracture earlier, Bumrah must have read the signs at the right time and decided to stop in Sydney,” the former India pacer told The Times of India.

“Most likely, this time he felt a tightness in the upper back. The reports have gone to his surgeon, we should have the final results very soon. My hunch is he will be part of the first squad that will be announced for CT. After all, you can have an injury replacement later,” the former bowler added.

Former India trainer Ramji Srinivasan also gave his views on Bumrah’s injury and said that back spasm is related to stress which is a direct result of playing too much cricket and added that a grade 1 or 3 stress fracture injury could take 1-6 months to fully recover.

“I agree that if it is only spasms, he should be fit. In fact, he might be feeling alright even before he boarded the flight back home. But I am not so sure about it. The injury is related to stress, which is a direct result of playing too much cricket. If it is anything between a Grade 1 to Grade 3 injury related to stress fracture, it can take up to one to six months of recovery,” Srinivasan told The Times of India.

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“Fast bowling is all about cardio-vascular activity and for jumping and landing during your run-up, the load is a lot higher. It is crucial to gradually add to the load, otherwise there can be an injury,” Sudarshan, was serves as the trainer of the Indian cricket team between 2013 and 2016, told Times of India.

Barring the Indian national hockey team, who are at pretty much locked at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru and are undergoing proper training in the guidance of trainers, athletes across various sports are ruing the fact that they are not able to train during the nation-wide lockdown. Staying in shape, for cricketers in particular, is challenging considering the amount of workload that goes into them being match-ready. Even shuttlers, paddlers, boxers will have their set of challenges to overcome in terms of getting match ready once the situation improves.

Srinivasan, another former trainer of the Indian team said that although the cricketers are following a series of training schedule, it does not compensate for lack of proper outdoor workout.

“It’s not that they are sitting idle at home, we are talking to athletes and giving them workout schedules, but it can never be a substitute for outdoor training. The ground reaction force plays a very important role during training. Running on the ground and running indoors are completely different, in fact running on a treadmill can only be considered a top-up exercise,” he said.

L Balaji, bowling coach of IPL side Chennai Super Kings, highlighted that although the players may feel the break is providing them rest, it’s not entirely true.

“The notion that this break will be a help for cricketers because they are getting rest is wrong. It is like a car that is in regular use suddenly going to sleep,” Balaji said. “The battery is bound to take a hit and that is exactly the same for the body of the cricketers, especially those who were playing continuous cricket. So it will be crucial for bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, who have had history of injuries, to carefully monitor the return so that they don’t get injured again.”

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In fact, this Indian team under skipper Virat Kohli has turned a new leaf when it comes to fitness. While Kohli himself attributes his amazing run on the international scene in the last few seasons to a healthy and fit lifestyle, some of the other Indian players have also given due importance to fitness under the watchful eyes of Team India trainer Shankar Basu. And the Yo-Yo Test has now become a yardstick for selection to the national team.

Dhoni, though, has his own fitness regime and isn’t much of a power lifter like skipper Kohli. In fact two people who deserve credit for Dhoni’s ability to remain one of the fittest even at this age are former India trainer Ramji Srinivasan and Gregory Allen King. The latter also works as fitness trainer for Chennai Super Kings.

Speaking to IANS, sources in the know of things said that while Dhoni is a natural, he consults the duo when it comes to drawing up a fitness chart or workout routine.

“MS is a natural to be honest. The energy that he has shown over the years and his fitness level even when the rest of the Indian players weren’t this focused on the area speaks volumes of his knowledge about staying fit and the requirements of a professional cricketer. Also, his love for the military forces is well known and he has closely followed their lifestyle. So, in a way, he also has a disciplined routine.

“This apart, when he does need any guidance, he goes to Ramji and Gregory and the two coordinate to chart out what is best for the former India skipper. He likes to keep things simple and unlike some of the other Indian players, he doesn’t do clean-and-jerk or powerlifting. He would rather focus on doing core strengthening exercises and fine-tune his boxing skills. Basically, he likes to work on those areas that help him during the game,” the source explained.

When contacted, Ramji refused to comment on the matter.

The World Cup starts in less than 10 days and with the showpiece event going back to the round-robin format, like in 1992, the 10 teams will play each other once in the group stages before the top four teams move into the semi-finals. Apart from the high-intensity battle between bat and ball, the fitness of the players will also be in focus and Dhoni will once again lead the show along with Kohli when it comes to being the fittest players in this Indian team.

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Ramji Srinivasan says that Sachin Tendulkar (above) is the Mozart of cricket © Getty Images

By Ramji Srinivasan

In my book, Sachin Tendulkar is the Mozart of cricket. As the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Indian cricket team, I realised that he has a fantastic body record. This is because of his sheer commitment. It is that aspect that has allowed him to overcome various challenges throughout his career. In 2006, everybody were skeptical about his future as he had been through an injury-ridden period. However, I had said then that he would play for at least five years and people had laughed at me. Seven years down the line, I stand vindicated, thanks to the Master!

Even when Sachin went through that tough phase, he had this supreme will to make a comeback. If you look at all the great sportsmen, they have battled injuries and niggles to emerge victorious — whether it is Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Pele or anyone. The will to win has been far greater than the fear of failure. During that testing period, Sachin’s core strength was always was remarkable and that coupled with his mindset allowed him to make that comeback.

Everything Sachin does is meticulously planned. He has a great attention to detail, even for the smallest things. When he battled injuries, we chalked out a training regime to suit his body. Not many people can work like him and he has the ability to adapt and understand the technicality of any exercise. Every training cycle is customized according to the format he plays. For example, if he is to play a Test series, his training and fitness schedule would be different when compared to that of a T20. Plus, he is always eager to learn new things and that is something very natural. Some men are born geniuses while others have greatness thrust upon them.
 
During my association with Sachin, there have been many moments I will cherish. However, there are three that would stand out. Sachin met the famous Formula One driver Narain Kartikeyan and they were engrossed in an in-depth discussion on the latter’s sport. Sachin’s knowledge of the sport is great and he discussed things like the engines, tracks, strategies etc, with Kartikeyan. Apart from cricket and Formula One, Sachin also has good knowledge of tennis. He is also a good go-karting driver and who knows, if he would have given it a go, he may have made it as a motor racer as well because his hand-eye coordination is very good.

The other incident I remember happened at Hyderabad in 2007. We were working out in the gym and one particular song from the 1970s was played on the music system. Sachin and I had heard this after many years and we then played that song for almost one and a half hours. We asked for the song to be played again and again, so much so that the other people in the gym left. Sachin does love his music.

Then, there is another instance that shows his impact in the dressing room. I had introduced these high-altitude masks to the team. It was brought in to help improve their aerobic capacity and for better breathing. It helped train the lower nodes of the lungs. Sachin was the first one to try it on and looking at him, the others such as Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma too wore it. Even away from the cricket field, the youngsters look up to him and approach him for help. He has all classy tastes and can also advice them on music, fashion and food as well.

We then proceeded to do some core-stability exercises with the mask. I demonstrated the complicated movements once, but Sachin got them in the first attempt. Those aren’t easy exercises by any means and I had goose bumps when I saw him get it right on the first go. That shows that he has what we call good “body awareness.” For example, if he injures one part, he would work and strengthen the other areas. There were modified protocols to suit his biomechanical needs.

It was dream come true for me to work with him. It is sad that he has to go, but I must say that from now on we have two eras in cricket — Before Sachin Tendulkar (BST) and After Sachin Tendulkar (AST).

Thank you, Sachin, for giving the chance to work with you — one of the greatest sportsmen the world has seen. It has been a great honour and it would stay with me till my last breath!

— As told to Nishad Pai Vaidya

(Ramji Srinivasan has worked with Team India as a Strength and Conditioning Coach since 2009. In 2006, he worked with Sachin Tendulkar after his shoulder surgery)
 
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Brad Haddin (above) got accidentally hit by jubilant James Faulkner as the latter was celebrating the fall of  Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan © Getty Images

By Kushan Sarkar

Jaipur: Oct 15, 2013

The BCCI is not known for giving reasons for decisions it takes and therefore it was not surprising that no one knows as to why Indian cricket team’s long time trainer Ramji Srinivasan is no longer with the side.

Ramji has been a part of World Cup and Champions Trophy winning team support staff. He has now been replaced by strength and conditioning specialist Sudarshan VP, who has worked with U-19 World Cup winning team as well as India A side.

Sudarshan’s appointment is also an indirect entry of an official connected with the North-East into senior national cricket team. A Keralite by birth, Sudarshan is a member of the Sikkim Cricket Association which is an associate member of the BCCI.

No more High Fives for Haddin:

Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has had enough of those ‘High-Fives’ after a fall of wicket. The gritty New South Wales glovesman learnt it hard way when he was involved in a freak accident with a jubilant James Faulkner‘s finger brushing his eye which led to leave the field for quite some time.

“I have not been speaking to Faulkner for last three days!” Haddin answered with a straight face to a question about the pacer’s inputs on Sawai Mansingh track as all present had a good laugh.

About High Fives, he gave another poker faced replies, “We have decided we will only indulge in customary handshakes or at the most bum-slaps to congratulate each other.”

If you are covering cricket in India, it’s highly unlikely that you would not bump into a tough policeman, who would be uncompromising and asking various questions ranging from logic behind carrying a laptop for matches to why one has not got his accreditation cards. The cop who was manning the players’ practice arena here was a tough man, who would not even allow anyone to collect their passes. Guess what his name was: Sub-Inspector Ram Khiladi.

Celebration time for Mohammed Shami

It’s not known whether Bengal pacer Mohammed Shami will get a chance in the India playing XI on Wednesday but he is in festive spirits as he plans to celebrate Eid-ul-Joha festival with his cousin.

“I will get out of the hotel at around 8:30 am to offer namaaz and get back to hotel by 10am. It will also be a chance to meet my cousin sister who is settled over here,” said Shami.

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Sachin Tendulkar missed the recently concluded Champions League T20 tournament due to a toe injury © Getty Images

By CricketCountry Staff

Chennai: Oct 11, 2011

Champions League T20 winners Mumbai Indians believe that Sachin Tendulkar’s presence and his influence played a big role in their successful campaign.

Skipper Harbhajan Singh told TOI, “He was very involved in everything…He is great role model to have in the dressing room,” Harbhajan said, talking about Tendulkar’s role in the Mumbai Indians scheme of things.”

“He has led Mumbai Indians in all four editions of the IPL and everyone close to him knows how dearly he wants to win that tournament,” Harbhajan added.

“That hasn’t happened as yet, but this time around, he ensured that Mumbai Indians made the Champions League cut with some inspiring batting performances and from there, it was the turn of the Harbhajans and Pollards to take the team to the coveted title.”

“He was always supportive and helped guys like Ambati Rayudu and (Tirumalasetti) Suman in the dressing room. We owe a lot to him,” Harbhajan added.

Harbhajan said Tendulkar backed every single youngster in the Mumbai Indians squad, which has helped them to develop a fighting unit.

“We always wanted to give them chances and not make them feel left out. Even in the IPL, we had tried a lot of youngsters and in this tournament they really raised their performances. That augurs well for us in IPL 5,” he said.

Ramji Srinivasan, Mumbai Indians’ trainer said, “He was so involved in everything. You must have seen how keenly he was following every game…This wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

When Mumbai Indians could manage only 139 in their final match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Tendulkar asked the team to fight till the last moment.

“He told the boys not to give up at any cost and fight till the last moment…He has this great ability to motivate players and the younger lot really felt charged up. It was as if they wanted to do it for Tendulkar,” Srinivasan added.

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