Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have reportedly declined to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Both of them have recovered from injuries.

According to the guidelines, both contracting Pandya and Hardik should have been at the NCA for rehabilitation. They, however, made it clear to the team management that they were not going to go to the NCA.

The disclosures were made by a Cricket Control Board functionality in India (BCCI). Bumrah and Hardik trained under Rajnikant Sivagnanan, the Delhi Capitals coach, rather than going to the NCA.

Sivagnanan was competing for Team India’s trainer’s post, but he lost to Nick Webb. The latter is currently in the home series against West Indies with the national team.

“Both Pandya and Bumrah made it clear to the team management that they wouldn’t wish to go to the academy for rehabilitation and that is why while Yogesh Parmar kept an eye on Pandya, Nitin Patel studied every process that Bumrah followed during the rehab,” the functionary was quoted.

The stakes are high in Bumrah and Hardik Pandya’s case

“Yes, they are contracted players and they should have been at the NCA, but the stakes are high and for a sportsperson, injuries are a serious matter. So, beyond a point you have to allow them to take a call that they are comfortable with,” the functionary added.

Meanwhile, fast-medium bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was diagnosed with a sports hernia. The NCA gave him a clean chit earlier, but the injury of the pacer raised questions about the NCA’s specialists.

During the 2019 World Cup, Bhuvneshwar sustained an injury and has since been rehabilitated at the NCA. Nonetheless, the NCA team failed to spot the problem for some reason or the other. In just a second match on return, Bhuvneshwar complained about discomfort.

“He was at the NCA for close to three months and without getting into details on the number of tests done on him in Bengaluru, all I will say is that he was checked for all possible issues. But strangely, the sportsman’s hernia wasn’t diagnosed. And no sooner was he tested in Mumbai that it was caught. Now make what you will of this,” the functionary said.