To avoid conflict, Team India trainer bars son from applying for BCCI job

NEW DELHI: Team India strength and conditioning (S&C) trainer Shanker Basu has decided to pull himself out of the process of hiring S&C coaches at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), citing his family business of running a private chain that offers the upgraded certification courses of the Indian cricket board (BCCI).
TOI has also learnt that fearing backlash from veteran trainers, Basu has also asked his son Arjun and all other students at Primal Patterns Holistic Fitness Studio to not apply for the posts BCCI had advertised for.The interviews are slated to be conducted on May 20.
“There is unrest as Basu’s wife, Anurita, is a director at Primal Patterns. He sensed that he recused himself from the interview panel. He has categorically told his wife that no one from his institute should apply for BCCI jobs till he is there. Basu communicated to the board that he wanted to go to the World Cup with a clear mind and wants to focus on it. Even Team India physio Patrick Farhart has recused himself from the process of hiring physiotherapist,” a top BCCI official told TOI.
Earlier in the year, the BCCI had decided that strength and conditioning coaches need to be certified from any one of Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) Level 2, UK Strength and Condition Association (UKSCA) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS). These parameters have been set by Basu and his team at the NCA. This has left the experienced veteran trainers very little time to get the certification whereas a private chain linked to Basu provides the required upgraded courses.
Barring Primal, where Basu has been a director, the trainers need to go through an online programme or fly over to Singapore or Australia to get these courses done. Recently, a few trainers had signed up for workshop on these courses arranged by JSW.
The BCCI had first wanted candidates to be below 35 years of age but decided to change it to 45 after some protests. Basu himself is in his 50s. A section of BCCI finds it difficult to understand the rush to hire people as there are already four S&C coaches at NCA.
TOI has also learnt that BCCI has stopped the training programme for trainers for the last three years.
“Like coaches, trainers were also trained and they had to pass Level 1, 2 and 3 to be certified BCCI trainers. But that has not happened for over two years now. It puts the veteran trainers in Indian cricket on the back foot,” a BCCI official informed.
“The NCA has been asking for two S&C coaches for six months. It was felt that the process would get only longer if it’s not done now,” a BCCI official told TOI.
Interestingly, the BCCI has also invited applications for physiotherapists at NCA but hasn’t set an interview date yet.