India physio Kamlesh Jain submits his resignation to the BCCI before the Afghanistan T20Is

India's team physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain has handed the BCCI his resignation and is working through a three-month notice period

Kamlesh Jain, who has travelled with India's men's team since June 2022, has submitted his resignation to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricbuzz reported on Friday. The board is yet to accept it.

Jain is in New Delhi with the squad, where India begin a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on September 13. He is understood to be serving a three-month notice period and is waiting to be relieved by the board.

There was no immediate comment from the BCCI when the report was published.

Travel, and a young family

The Chennai-based physiotherapist is understood to have sought a move away from the national role because of how much of the job is spent on the road.

"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 told Cricbuzz.

Jain himself has not been quoted on the decision, and the board has not set out a timeline for accepting it.

Nearly a decade at Kolkata Knight Riders

Jain spent close to ten years with Kolkata Knight Riders before the India job, and was promoted to their head physiotherapist in 2020.

The BCCI recruited him out of that role during Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach. He took over from Nitin Patel, who had moved to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Patel has since left the Centre of Excellence himself and joined Mumbai Indians.

A notice period that runs to New Zealand

If the three months run their full course, India's tour of New Zealand, which finishes in early December, would be Jain's last assignment with the men's team.

The board can also relieve him earlier. Until it decides one way or the other, he remains in the role and with the squad.

The calendar in between leaves little slack. The Afghanistan T20Is are followed by the Asian Games, for which India have named a separate squad, and then the New Zealand tour.

The latest name to leave the support staff

Jain's exit follows a run of departures from around the India dressing room. T Dilip, the long-serving fielding coach, left after the recent tour of the United Kingdom.

Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate moved on at the same time and has since joined Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dilip, ten Doeschate and now Jain have all gone or given notice within a few months of one another.

A cautious line on fitness

The turnover comes while the BCCI, its selectors and the Centre of Excellence are applying a deliberately careful line on clearing players, after a run of cricketers being picked and then withdrawn.

Harshit Rana, cleared in June for the Ireland and England tours after five months out, was ruled out inside a fortnight and sent home. Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Varun Chakaravarthy have all been replaced late in recent squads.

"What the BCCI has done is there's transparency in all the fitness reports and also in the selection," said VVS Laxman, who heads the Centre of Excellence, describing the policy as player-centric and team-centric.

Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy and Rana were all named as conditional picks for the Afghanistan series. Rana has since been ruled out of it and replaced by Yash Thakur.

For now the resignation sits with the BCCI, unaccepted, and Jain remains India's physiotherapist for the series that starts in Delhi on Sunday.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.