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Changes on the cards in India’s FTP from next season
Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
In the ongoing season, India have already played a one-off Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan. The home assignments followed two T20Is in Ireland, and five T20Is and three ODIs in England. A three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe was next, followed by a two-Test series in Sri Lanka. All this came on the heels of a gruelling two months of the IPL, where India’s players carried the fatigue and niggles from the T20 World Cup. India still have seven Tests, 14 ODIs and 16 T20Is on their roster this season, besides the Asian Games.
Yes, players are falling like ninepins. As many as 10 cricketers have been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi came with asterisks, as the availability of four players — Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy — is subject to fitness clearance. But spare a thought for the cricketers and those in charge of their rehabilitation at the CoE. An overload of fixtures is barely allowing any recovery time.
It is good that the BCCI has decided to address the issue by promising a kinder FTP cycle from next season onwards, ensuring that players get adequate rest between assignments. The fitness issue was one of the major talking points at the future roadmap meeting at the cricket board’s headquarters on Thursday. The presence of VVS Laxman, the head of cricket at the CoE, India head coach Gautam Gambhir and India captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer allowed everyone to be in sync with the course-correction plan.
“We will take certain measures,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told reporters after the meeting. “We have instructed our FTP persons, who will be meeting very soon in various international forums, that our FTP should be in such a way that there is proper rest for the players, as well as some kind of acclimatisation and some kind of friendly matches before any major series in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.”
He added: “Individual players are having injuries because they have to play a lot of matches if you look at their schedule.
“If you look at it, in England, we had a 15-player team for the ODIs and out of that 15, three-four players got injured during the match. But we have to think about the fact that they have played two months of IPL prior to that. So all this takes a toll on the health of the players also, and to avoid those kinds of situations, what best we can do under the present windows and present FTPs, we are trying to find some ways out.”
Hardik Pandya’s case is a bit complicated. The all-rounder has been undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE. But every time he nears full fitness, the 32-year-old picks up another injury. The series of setbacks saw him miss the ODIs against Afghanistan and England, and now the T20Is against Afghanistan.
“There was no discussion on any individual player today,” said Saikia. “Today’s discussion was totally general in nature and what policy and what protocols we have to maintain regarding maintaining the fitness level of every player, not any individual, and what is in the best interest of the team… We have considered that only.”
With the ODI World Cup scheduled for October-November next year, the BCCI’s remedial measures need to be foolproof. India cannot afford to take a depleted squad to the ICC showpiece.
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The post Changes on the cards in India’s FTP from next season appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday revealed plans to develop a dedicated motorsport city in the state.
This will include a new racetrack, capable of hosting F1, F2, F3, F4 and other international races.
“An Olympic city will be set up in Chennai. A Motor Sports City will also be set up in Chennai to host Formula 1 races. The talents of youth in motorsport will be identified, and training and racing opportunities will be provided to create national and international level champions," he said during the state Assembly.
He added, “Establishing world-class motor vehicle car racing arenas will provide opportunities for tourism, special vehicle manufacturing industries, employment and economic development."
For the Motor Sports City, Vijay cited Tamil Nadu’s leadership in two- and four-wheeler production and said vehicle manufacturers considered the state their first choice for new factories. He also described it as a leader in motor vehicle racing. Motorsports manufacturing units operate in Coimbatore, he said.
The Madras International Circuit at Irungattukottai, near Chennai, and KARI Motor Speedway in Coimbatore are the key racing facilities and host national F3 and F4 car races.
Vijay stated that the venue will also include training facilities to identify and nurture local racing talent in a bid to give them opportunities on the national and international stage.
The Buddh International Circuit hosted the F1 Indian GP from 2011 to 2013. But the race was then dropped, mainly due to the Uttar Pradesh government’s taxation policy at the time, which classified F1 as entertainment rather than sport.
In June, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports created a task force to monitor motorsports with a vision to bring back F1 racing to the country by the end of 2028.
Natasha Miles wins toss, elects to bowl first against Team India
In the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 match against Team India, Hong Kong's skipper Natasha Miles has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
After winning the toss, Hong Kong's skipper Miles said, "We're going to have a bowl first. I think the conditions would suit that. Very confident with our batting lineup to come out here and chase down any score. So, let's make the most of these conditions. [What is a good total?] I think we've seen, as an average score, it's been about 120 -130. They're obviously a very accomplished side, so, looking at 140, 150, we've had a couple of chases like that this year. So, if we can keep them to 140, 150... [Any changes?] We have two changes. I'm coming in for Dorothea, and Iqra Sahar is coming in. [How big is this occasion?] It's obviously a very exciting occasion. We're playing one of the top teams in the world. They're an incredible side. Obviously, everyone's very excited to see how we can compete against such an incredible side. And, I mean, taking in the occasion and enjoying ourselves, and hopefully we come back to the Asia Cup in the future. [On Alison Siu playing her 100th T20I] She's been a spearhead for our attack for many years now. Always making 100 appearances for your country is an incredible achievement. So, congrats to Alison, and we're happy to have her on the side always and hope she has a great game".
On the other hand, Team India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, "We thought of batting first because I personally believe we want to get used to these conditions as soon as possible. [What total are you aiming for?] Well, we are not keeping anything in mind. Let's just go there and execute ourselves in a positive way and let's see what we achieve at the end of the day. [What's your reading of this pitch?] It's a very tricky wicket, and as a batting unit we have to just keep looking at the ball and execute ourselves in a positive way. [What's your playing combination today?] We're going with the same eleven. [What do you expect from Hong Kong, China?] I think they have been playing really good cricket. We have seen they have been very positive in this competition, and we just want to keep doing what we have been doing. And I think (it's an) opportunity for us to play another positive game".
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Hong Kong: Natasha Miles (C), Maryam Bibi, Alison Siu, Mariko Hill, Iqra Sahar, Joyleen Kaur, Marina Lamplough, Yasmin Daswani (WK), Ruchita Venkatesh, Shanzeen Shahzad, Kary Chan.
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