BOMBAY, 27 June 2003 — The last time an Indian Test player got treated at home for an external injury was Saba Karim. He had the misfortune of losing sight in one eye after being struck by a bail that flew into his eye after the batsman was bowled. He went to the specialist in Madras for surgery and treatment, but the damage had been done and there was nothing much the doctors could do about it. At that time, the BCCI was not as generous as it is today, when if a player wants to go abroad for putting band-aid, he will be allowed to do so and not only him but also his doctor’s fares and expenses will be taken care of. At that time, after Saba Karim had finished with the surgery and was advised to stay on in Madras and not travel in that delicate state, he was ordered by the BCCI not to stay in a 5-star hotel in the city for recuperation after the surgery. Why, he was even asked who he thought he was to stay in a 5-star hotel. Did he think he was some superstar or what, which in effect said that if he was one, then of course it would be okay for him to stay, and for as long as possible.

One doesn’t know if Saba, a gentleman to the core and one of the better thinkers in the game, has even got any insurance benefit or not since for all practical purposes, his career came to an end after that injury and he wasn’t even able to stay in the first-class game for long after that and remember, he was a current player and everybody had seen that he had got injured while keeping wickets for India.

Today, it’s different as a player has only to say that he is injured and needs treatment abroad for the BCCI to bend over and sanction permission. Make no mistake, not for one moment is one suggesting that players who are such an important part of a team and whose deeds bring so much honor and joy to the country should not be given the best possible treatment so that they get fit and well and are able to perform at the optimum level sooner, rather than later. But the question that the BCCI needs to seriously ponder over is whether the treatment is available in India and if it isn’t, then do the players need to take along a doctor from India who is unable to treat and cure him, for what is nothing but a joy ride. It’s not as if the player is going for a heart surgery that he needs someone to hold his hand and give him moral support and confidence as he is wheeled into the operating theater. Once again, one must add here that it is not the player who is asking for the doctor to accompany him and yet the BCCI sends them along.

Any explanation to the overseas doctor of the nature of the injury and details of previous treatment if any, can easily be given by fax or e-mail or even by video conferencing, so there’s no need for the doctor to travel with the player. And what does it tell about a doctor who is prepared to let his other patients in India suffer so that he can go on a foreign trip with a star player? One can understand a doctor going along if any surgery is going to leave the player immobile and unable to move on his own but for finger injuries, why does a doctor need to go with the player? Ashish Nehra was in South Africa last month for follow-up treatment after his ankle surgery and he did not have anybody with him, though it was clear that he was not able to move much on his own as he was on crutches. He was perfectly justified in having someone to help him, but perhaps because he is not a superstar yet, nobody was sent with him, and yet the BCCI sends doctors for players with finger injuries. Perhaps it is to sign on the player’s behalf since the player will not be able to give his autograph after his finger is operated upon!!!

Once again, let me reiterate that there’s absolutely nothing wrong in current players getting the best of treatment, but it is about time the BCCI also looked at former players who have not been keeping well and are struggling to get good treatment. The late C.S. Nayudu could have been helped by the BCCI much more, and here is the rub that while no expense is spared for the current player, why is there a limit on how much the BCCI spends on the treatment of former players? Right now, one of India’s greatest players is not in the best of health, but is the BCCI doing anything about helping him? The older generation of players may not have got the rewards that the current generation gets, but they have pride and so won’t spread their hands to beg. It is for the local association officials who profess to care for the game and it’s players who should be bringing it to the attention of the BCCI and ensuring that the former player gets all the medical assistance that he needs. Old age happens to everyone and with it comes health problems, and it’s no good saying that there’s an insurance policy, but to go out and help ease the pain of the former player, who in his time gave as much, if not more, to Indian cricket than the current player, is necessary.