NCA Covid task force sets remote protocols

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket board (BCCI) will set up a Covid task force to resume the activities of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. NCA cricket head Rahul Dravid is likely to chair the committee.
The NCA has come up with remote physiotherapy and strength and conditioning (S&C) Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) which will help in dealing with injuries and rehab. The players will have to answer fitness questionnaires and undergo tests within two-four weeks of resuming formal physical training before moving on to full-fledged cricket training.
As per the SoP, every player will have to fill out a detailed form about his fitness status upon resumption.If the player feels any discomfort upon resumption, he can get in touch with the physio at NCA. The NCA will have a session on video call, in which the state physio can also join in. The NCA physio will then share a programme via email and track the player's rehab through video calls. The NCA has also shared a list of fitness-test results which will go into the BCCI database. Some of these protocols are likely to stay for national team training camps too.
The S&C SOPs too will come with a questionnaire before resumption. Players have been given an acclimatization period and have been classified into 'trained' and 'detrained' categories. 'Trained' cricketers are those who have followed a routine from professionals and 'detrained' ones will be given a fresh routine to follow before the fitness tests.
Focus on virtual therapy
The NCA facility has been shut since the Covid-19 outbreak in March. NCA is responsible for maintaining a pool of players across age groups. The idea is to prevent overcrowding when the NCA reopens, so there will be increased focus on virtual physiotherapy and consultations. The NCA, at any given time, has around 50-60 players from across the country, besides the national camps. With NCA opening its doors to all state players, there has been a constant rush for the past two years.
"India has so many players. After such a lengthy layoff, everyone will need an expert consultation. It is imperative that there are fewer injuries while resuming training. That's why the remote protocols have been set," the source said.
The BCCI has laid special emphasis on arranging workshops to educate the players and support staff about the gravity of the pandemic. "A webinar before commencement and in-person education workshop on Day 1 of the camp must be conducted by the CMO for all players and staff," the 100-page SOP document read. "This directive is for all state associations. BCCI will provide all the resources and the states will have to coordinate with the board before resumption," a BCCI source told TOI.
Amnesty for self-declaring age-fraud
The board on Monday also announced that the players who voluntarily admit to age frauds will not be punished. "Under this scheme, players who voluntarily declare that they have manipulated their date of birth by submitting fake/tampered documents in the past will not be suspended and allowed to participate in the appropriate age group level if they disclose their actual date of birth (DoB). Players have to submit a signed letter/email along with supporting documents to BCCI age verification department revealing their actual DoB before September 15," BCCI said in a statement.
"However, if registered players do not disclose the facts and are found to have submitted fake/tampered DoB proof documents by BCCI, then they will be banned for two years, and after completion of the two-year suspension, they will not be allowed to participate in age group tournaments of BCCI, as well as age group tournaments organized by the state units."