The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has terminated the contract of Indian men's cricket team's head physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain amid growing concerns over the number of players struggling with injuries.

The development comes after pacer Harshit Rana was ruled out of India's three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and the upcoming Asian Games. Rana's setback has added to an increasingly lengthy injury list that has recently included premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya, among others.

While Bumrah and Reddy have been declared fit and included in the squad for the Afghanistan series, the spate of injuries has placed India's fitness and medical management under renewed scrutiny.

Jain to leave after New Zealand tour

Jain had been associated with the Indian team since 2022 and was an important member of the support staff. According to Sports Now, he is currently serving a three-month notice period and is expected to leave the team after India's New Zealand tour later this year.

Jain took over as India's head physiotherapist after Nitin Patel moved to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE). Patel subsequently left the CoE to join the Mumbai Indians.

Following his departure from the national set-up, Jain is expected to explore opportunities in the Indian Premier League.

The change in India's medical support staff comes at a time when player workload and injury management have attracted considerable attention. With several key players having missed important assignments, the team's fitness protocols have come under increasing scrutiny.

India-Afghanistan T20I schedule unchanged

Meanwhile, there will be no change to the schedule of India's opening T20I against Afghanistan. The match is set to be played on September 13 as planned.

The Delhi Police had written to the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), seeking a change to the fixture in view of the BRICS summit. However, the DDCA later confirmed that it had discussed the situation with the police and that the match would proceed as scheduled.

“The 1st T20I will go ahead as scheduled. Following a meeting with Delhi traffic police, DDCA has been assured of all support,” the association said.

India's updated Afghanistan T20I squad

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur make up India's updated squad for the Afghanistan T20Is.