Kamlesh Jain Resigns as India Physio Amid Backroom Changes
The quiet churn behind Indian cricket’s glittering front has claimed another key figure.
Team India physio Kamlesh Jain has submitted his resignation to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), bringing his stint with the national side towards an early close even as he remains on duty with the squad in New Delhi for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting September 13.
For now, the board has not accepted his resignation. On paper, he is still India’s lead physio. In reality, the clock is ticking.
Notice period running, New Zealand tour likely farewell
Jain, who joined the Indian team setup in June 2022, is currently serving a three-month notice period, according to sources within the team and the BCCI. That timeline stretches into early December, which means the upcoming tour of New Zealand could be his final assignment with the national side unless the board decides to release him earlier.
The New Zealand series, tucked into a packed calendar, may well double up as his farewell lap — a low-key exit for a support staff member who has lived in the shadows but shouldered a relentless workload.
Travel fatigue and a young family
The Chennai-based physio stepped into the India role when Nitin Patel moved to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Patel has since left that post and joined Mumbai Indians, underlining how fluid the backroom market has become.
Jain himself arrived in the national setup from Kolkata Knight Riders, recruited during Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India coach. Those who have worked closely with him describe a long, demanding stretch.
“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 said, pointing to the core reason behind his decision.
The grind is unforgiving. Tours stack up. Formats bleed into each other. Breaks shrink. For support staff, the travel load can be even more punishing than for players, with early reporting dates, late departures, and almost no off days on tour. Jain has chosen to step away from that carousel.
The BCCI, for its part, has offered no immediate comment.
Part of a wider exodus
Jain’s impending departure does not stand alone. It follows a noticeable run of exits from the Indian team’s support structure in recent months.
Fielding coach T Dilip, a long-standing and respected presence in the dressing room, left after the recent tour of the UK. Around 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.
One by one, familiar faces around the players are changing. Different roles, different reasons, but the pattern is clear: the backroom staff that underpinned India’s recent cycles is being reshaped.
For the BCCI, the challenge is immediate and layered. Replace experience without losing continuity. Manage player workloads while the staff around them turns over. And do it all in a calendar that barely pauses.
For Kamlesh Jain, the decision is simpler, if not easier: step off the road, reclaim time with a young family, and close this chapter on his own terms.
