Mumbai: On Tuesday, BCCI Announced that Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been selected for the series against Afghanistan, subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah (workload management) and senior left-arm spinning all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (injury) and Axar Patel have been rested for the series. There have been reports that ‘mystery spinner’ Varun Chakraborty is bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL despite a fractured toe, while there has been some confusion over Punjab Kings taking left-arm pacer Arsdeep Singh. Injuries and burns to Indian players have forced the selectors to rest some regulars for the short home series against Afghanistan, consisting of one Test and three ODIs, reigniting a long-standing debate: Can the BCCI ‘control’ the workload of the board’s centrally contracted players during the IPL?“BCCI cannot micromanage the workload and fitness of players during the IPL,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told TOI on Wednesday.“We cannot micromanage the players’ workload and fitness during the IPL, because otherwise, it would be interference by the BCCI in the franchises’ work regarding their teams and players’ activities,” Saikia told this newspaper from Guwahati. Clarifying the protocol regarding injury management for centrally contracted players while playing in the IPL, Saikia said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday, “As far as the IPL is concerned, the franchises take care of the injuries and fitness of the players. Of course, our physios are monitoring them as the center of excellence. The plan is to keep them fit. So, there is monitoring, but we cannot interfere much when the IPL is going on. “If it was an Indian team situation, we would have more control. Now, we are giving freedom to the franchises to approach our players, and we definitely look at their fitness level when it comes to selecting the national team,” Saikia said.
