BCCI president Roger Binny wants to reduce player injuries, improve pitches for domestic cricket

Newly elected Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny speaks with others in Mumbai on October 18.

Right after taking charge, new BCCI president Roger Binny on Tuesday said frequent injuries to top India players is a matter of concern and promised to "get to the bottom of it all".

Improving the pitches for domestic cricket is also high on his agenda. "We will look to improve on what we can do to reduce the injuries to players," Roger Binny told reporters here after taking over BCCI presidency from Sourav Ganguly.

"Players getting frequently injured is a concern, and we wish to get to the bottom of it all and see how it can be changed for the better. We have excellent doctors and trainers at the National Cricket Academy (in Bengaluru), but we must look to reduce the injuries and improve recovery."

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India have fielded as many as 40 players across formats in 2022, with injuries being the main reason, apart from multiple series being held simultaneously. The team will be without its premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, all thanks to injuries.

While Bumrah was ruled out due to a stress injury of the back, Jadeja recently underwent surgery on his right knee. Initially named in reserve, Deepak Chahar, who had torn a quadricep muscle in February and then suffered from a back issue during its rehabilitation, was also ruled out due to an injury.

During his interaction, Binny also stressed on the importance of improving the pitches used for domestic cricket in India. "There needs to be more life in the wickets at home, so that our teams would not have the problem of adjusting when travelling abroad – like in Australia, where there is more pace and bounce."

World Cup winner Binny, 67, was elected unopposed at the BCCI AGM (Annual general Meeting) alongside Jay Shah, who was re-elected as the secretary for a second successive term. Ganguly was present at the meeting as the representative of the Cricket Association of Bengal, where he is set to return as president.

Binny, who played 27 Tests and 72 ODIs for India, takes charge ahead of the ODI World Cup in India next year.

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