New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- Injury management of key players heading into a crucial all-format tour of New Zealand and the broader roadmap for next year's ODI World Cup will be the key points of discussion at a BCCI review meeting featuring head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar in Mumbai on Thursday.
The June-July debacle in the UK is expected to be discussed at length but it is also understood that stakeholders, including BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, want to look ahead.
Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman is also expected to join the meeting. The tour of New Zealand is scheduled in October-November.
Those tracking the latest developments in Indian cricket say Agarkar and Gambhir could have some very specific queries on the injured centrally-contracted and targetted players who are undergoing rehabilitation at the Bengaluru-based COE.
"The selection committee chief was informally intimated before the Sri Lanka Tests that Jasprit Bumrah would be fit for at least one if not two Tests. In fact, he had written a mail to COE seeking more clarity on Bumrah's absence.
"His (Bumrah) absence was felt in the second Test where Siraj looked distinctly off-colour on a placid track. Ditto for Hardik Pandya, who hasn't played anything post IPL and is important as far as the ODI World Cup is concerned," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
While it is very difficult to set a specific date for any player's return as bodies are different and so are the types of injuries but at times, the COE's Sports Science team has often failed to provide even an approximate time-line.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.