NEW DELHI: In an attempt to keep BCCICentrally contracted players in top form, skill-wise, the Center of Excellence (CoE) launched a program called Performance block. TOI understands that this program has opened doors for international players to sharpen their cricketing skills at any time of the year, apart from being an integral part of the players’ recovery process after injury.Sources told TOI Hardik Pandya opted for a performance block instead of getting fit for the ODI series in England. Harshit Rana is the first player to be declared fully fit under this programme.“The CoE was mainly a rehabilitation center for international cricketers. Cricket programs were limited to age groups and zonal camps. Now players from India can come anytime and have very specialized sessions to work on small things in their game. Dedicated professional staff will work with the players. Also, under this programme, an injured player can be declared fit to play for India only if he plays up to his potential,” a BCCI source told TOI.Earlier, the injured player was clinically cleared after undergoing some match simulation sessions. CoE often did not have a quality pool of players to play those simulation matches.Hardik is now the first big name to go through this new program. The selection committee and the team management are worried about Hardik’s ability to score 10 overs in ODIs. He reportedly played 10 overs at the CoE in the first week of June before suffering a quadriceps injury on June 9. The time frame for his recovery was three weeks, which would be the end of June or the first week of July. The selectors on Sunday named the team ignoring Hardik. “Hardik is very clear in his mind that he will not take the field for India unless he is at the top of his game—both physically and cricket-wise. He doesn’t want to push himself and put his body at risk with the ODI World Cup in 16 months. He contacted the CoE and joined the performance block. “He wants to work on certain cricketing skills apart from getting in top form,” the source said.Under this block performance program, if a fast bowler is undergoing rehabilitation, his throwing will also be evaluated with a gradual increase in load. Once the shot putter is able to withstand the load, it will be observed if it can handle the load well. If a fast bowler does not bowl well during a session, his return to the game may be delayed.In Hardik’s case, the CoE will work on bowling and batting according to the 50-over format. “Hardik hasn’t played much 50-over cricket in the last two years. He needs to understand certain aspects well before returning to that format,” the source said.
