The BCCI's new sports medicine expert Dr Anant Joshi feels that players must be honest about their fitness, and unlike earlier, not continue playing while carrying injuries.

"The players must be honest to themselves when it comes to declaring their injuries. While an element of insecurity may have been only natural among the players earlier, the contract system in the offing should take care of that aspect now," Dr Joshi told the Times of India in Kolkata on Friday.

The Mumbai-based orthopaediac surgeon said that it was because players turned a deaf ear to medical advice in recent times that there had been a slew of injury lay-offs. He emphasised his point by recounting an instance when a couple of Indian players had discounted his well-meaning advice. "I had warned at least two senior members of the squad to be careful about their shoulders and cut out on their number of assignments. They still persisted by taking pain-killing injections..."

"It's a wrong perception that once injured, the players cannot come back. Admitted that the stakes are very high these days, but the intense sense of competition requires a higher level of fitness," he added.

Dr Joshi, who also happens to be Sachin Tendulkar's personal physician, had glad tidings for Indian cricket fans all over the globe. He told the paper that the little master would be fit for battle by next week. "He has started nets from this week and has been able to take the increasing workload given to him. There is also no discomfort while striding in his shoes with special arch support, something which we have brought from South Africa."

Meanwhile, star batsman VVS Laxman, who recently underwent a surgery on his knee in Australia, will be returning on September 20. He too seems to have recovered completely, according to a report carried by the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle a few days back.

Dr Joshi and Indian physiotherpaist Andrew Leipus will be conducting the fitness test for Laxman and the rest of the players named for the South Africa tour in Mumbai on September 22 and 23. In case any of the players are found to be unfit they would be replaced by one of the five stand-bys the BCCI have in place.

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