Kamlesh Jain Resigns as India Physio Amidst Staff Changes
Kamlesh Jain, Team India’s physiotherapist, has tendered his resignation, adding another significant departure to an increasingly unsettled support staff structure.
Jain is currently with the Indian side in New Delhi for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting September 13, but his future has already shifted into its final phase. He has submitted his papers to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is now serving a three-month notice period, with the board yet to formally accept and process his exit.
If the timeline holds, India’s tour of New Zealand, which runs until early December, is likely to be his last assignment with the national team, unless the BCCI decides to release him earlier.
Travel grind pushes key support staffer towards exit
Chennai-based Jain joined the Indian team setup in June 2022, stepping into the role after Nitin Patel moved to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Patel has since left that role and joined Mumbai Indians, underlining how fluid the backroom landscape has become.
Jain’s decision, those close to the team say, is driven less by cricket and more by life around it. The constant travel that comes with a full-time India role has weighed heavily, especially with a young family at home. He is understood to be seeking a position that allows him to step away from the relentless touring cycle.
“He has been with the Indian team for four and a half years. Although he has enjoyed his association with the Indian team, he wants to avoid travel because of a young family,” a source familiar with the situation said.
The BCCI has not issued any official comment yet, nor has it named a successor or outlined how the physio role will be managed once Jain’s notice period ends.
Another key member walks away
Jain’s impending departure does not stand alone. It follows a series of exits from the Indian support staff in recent months, underlining a period of churn behind the scenes.
Fielding coach T Dilip, a long-serving and respected member of the setup, left after the recent tour of the UK. At the same time, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also moved on; he has since linked up with Kolkata Knight Riders, returning to a franchise environment he knows well.
Jain himself was recruited by the BCCI from Kolkata Knight Riders during Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India coach, a move that at the time underlined the board’s push to draw on IPL expertise for the national team’s high-performance unit.
Now, as India prepare for another packed stretch of white-ball and red-ball cricket, they do so with a growing list of vacancies in the dressing-room support staff. The question is no longer whether change is coming behind the scenes, but how quickly the BCCI can rebuild the core around a team expected to compete — and win — everywhere it goes.
