The injury to Irfan Pathan in his very first year of international cricket is ample proof of the workload the 19-year old has had to carry ever since he made his debut against the Aussies Down Under. Zaheer Khan was expected to be the spearhead once Javagal Srinath left the scene, but unfortunately for India the Baroda left-armer has never been fit enough to take charge of the Indian bowling attack. Thus the burden fell on the inexperienced shoulders of Irfan Pathan. It doesn't happen often that a newcomer becomes the leading frontline bowler of the team. But India's cricketing schedule is so heavy, some important player gets injured every series.

Sachin Tendulkar has had an almost injury-free career for most of his 15 year-long career - a great testimony to his fitness. But all the hard work put in over the past decade and a half is beginning to have its effect now. The 'tennis elbow' injury has kept him out of international cricket for a couple of months now. India dearly need him back as the batting line-up is struggling without him. It might not be easy for the Sachin to score big runs considering his layoff. But his presence in the team will certainly lift the spirit of the side.

Having to play so much cricket means players will keep getting injured time and again. And it is never easy to make a comeback especially if you are not fully fit and are thrown into an important game. Zaheer Khan, who made a comeback in the Asia Cup, looked totally out of sorts and only showed glimpses of his old form- the last over in the crucial tie against Sri Lanka. Even this series, he has never looked threatening enough to cause any trouble for the Aussies. When Khan arrived on the international scene in 2000, he was considered as a great future prospect. But four years down the line, he is still struggling to establish a permanent place in the team owing to consistent injury worries. Ashish Nehra's career is another striking example. He has had a stop start career ever since he made his debut and so has never really made a big impression in international cricket. One sincerely hopes, Irfan Pathan doesn't follow in the footsteps o his fellow fast bowlers.

For that to happen, India have to use him judiciously. With the number of matches we play in a year, one cannot expect Pathan to bowl day in and day out. If this situation exists, his career would not last very long no matter how fit a cricketer he is. The best way for India to have injury-free cricketers is to adopt a 'Rotation' policy. Injuries are part and parcel of a cricketer's career. No one can stop them. But sensible use of players can help India have a fit cricket team. Giving rest to players by turn will mean they get sometime to recover from niggles.

India certainly cannot afford to lose a talent like Irfan Pathan to injuries. We have never found a good all rounder ever since the exit of Kapil Dev. Though Agarkar has showed some promise with the bat and ball he has never really been consistent enough to be categorised as an all rounder. Pathan, on the other hand, is already showing signs of maturity. His innings of 49 against Pakistan in the second Test earlier this year and half century at Bangalore both came under immense pressure, though in a losing cause. With some experience, he will certainly be a good no.7 for India in both forms of the game. But for that, the Indian management will have to handle him with care. He is only 19 now and has loads of cricket left in him. If handled properly, this gifted and hardworking cricketer will be a great asset to India in the years to come. The 'Rotation' policy will also be a great help to the other senior members. Guys like Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly will get sometime away from the game which they can use to work on their shortcomings apart from their endorsements. Certainly playing excessive cricket must have had an adverse effect on their body and unknowingly, even an amount of tardiness seems to have crept in.
 

Indians are traditionally not the fittest lot in international cricket. Also, most of the middle order batsmen are into their thirties and not getting any younger. With age, their game is likely to disintegrate a bit. India needs all its players to be at their fittest best. And this will be possible only if their body gets ample time to recover from injuries. Hence it is all the more India to have a 'Rotation' policy so that we have only 11 fit guys representing the team every time they take the field. And not ones whose minds want to give 100% to the team but their bodies don't allow them to do so.