Key staff member to step down from Team India after ICC Champions Trophy win: Major setback for the team

New Delhi: The BCCI’s Centre of Excellence has suffered a setback as Nitin Patel, head of the Sports Science department, is said to be resigning from his role, as per a report from Cricbuzz.

Nitin Patel has been said to have resigned from his role and is in the process of serving his notice period, with his departure anticipated before the end of the month. He has been instrumental in looking after injuries of players such as Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah and also in handling workload and rehabilitation schemes for international as well as domestic cricketers.

Patel’s input has been immensely appreciated, and the BCCI will look to start the search for his replacement by issuing a formal advertisement. He has developed significant progress on workload management and the rehabilitation of overseas players during his tenure with the NCA/Centre of Excellence since April 2022. His guidance and leadership will be sorely missed.

While working at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, Nitin Patel was instrumental in rehabilitating and managing the fitness of a number of high-profile cricketers. He guided the comeback of players like Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul. He most recently made Mohammed Shami’s comeback possible during the English series and is at present managing Jasprit Bumrah’s current recovery from his January injury.

When Nitin Patel was appointed initially, he was asked to head the newly formed Sports Science wing. But with the increasing number of player injuries, there was a change in strategy. As a response, former secretary of BCCI Jay Shah and Patel together inaugurated the high-performance center in September last year with an aim to enhance injury care and recovery of players. This move reflected the growing focus on specialized injury management in Indian cricket.

The BCCI has allegedly expressed satisfaction with the performance of its Sports Science department under the command of Nitin Patel. The most notable accomplishment during his term was the rehabilitation of top players, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah, in successful fashion so that they could be ready for the ICC World Cup 2023.

Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah both underwent critical surgeries—Iyer in New Zealand and Bumrah in England—and the rehabilitation process developed by Patel’s unit allowed for a complete recovery well in time before the ICC World Cup 2023. The process being done carefully helped both the players take pivotal roles in India reaching the final of the World Cup, testifying to the efficacy of the efforts put in by the Sports Science department.

One of the success factors of the NCA was its seamless cooperation with the Indian national team and former head coach Rahul Dravid. This integration spanned everything from injury management to workload tracking and rehabilitation. The holistic strategy enabled players to get tailored recovery plans, in many cases returning to competition earlier than anticipated.

With Team India facing a packed cricket schedule, the BCCI is expected to fill the vacancy at the Centre of Excellence swiftly to maintain seamless player rehabilitation and injury management.