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It’s turning out to be a concern in Indian cricket circles. The National Cricket Academy (NCA), once seen as the gold standard for rehabilitation and fitness management, now seems to be losing the trust of the very players it’s meant to serve. If bowlers—especially pacers, whose careers hinge on precise rehab timelines—are saying they’d rather seek independent treatment, that’s a red flag.
A prominent Indian pacer narrated his tale about not getting enough help from NCA ro recover and that isn’t a good sign. “Look at the way Deepak Chahar used to be for two years and from the time he has stopped going to NCA, his fitness improved,” the pacer said while also citing the case of Mayank Yadav, whose fitness hasn’t improved after those frequent NCA trips.
When CricBlogger tried to reach out to BCCI, none of the board officials were available for comment.
The crux of the issue appears to be two-fold: delays in return-to-play protocols and over-cautious or rigid rehab plans that don’t always account for individual needs. When the system treats recovery as one-size-fits-all, fast bowlers — whose workload and physiology vary drastically — often end up stuck in limbo, neither fit nor entirely injured.
This affects not just IPL availability but also India’s bench strength and tournament preparedness. Players sidelined indefinitely without transparency or confidence in the process is a dangerous place for Indian cricket to be.
On paper, the BCCI has invested heavily in infrastructure, science, and personnel at the NCA, with the promise of building a sustainable fast-bowling ecosystem. But the results tell a different story. Four to five years ago, India’s pace attack—led by Bumrah, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, and supported by a sharp second tier—was arguably the best in the world, especially in overseas conditions.
Now, that depth looks eroded. Injuries, prolonged rehabs, and inconsistent management of workloads have all contributed to a decline. What’s worse is the transition hasn’t been smooth—young pacers either burn out early, disappear after a promising start, or remain stuck in rehab cycles that don’t yield timely returns.
If the NCA isn’t able to deliver timely recovery or confidence to bowlers, and India simultaneously fails to integrate emerging quicks properly into the Test setup, the result is what we’re seeing now: stagnation, especially in conditions that demand relentless pace and fitness.
It looks clear that India needs a separate fast-bowling management cell, independent of the NCA, to track, mentor, and manage the development of red-ball quicks more closely.
