Rogers admits sitting out was right call

KINGSTON: Australia’s Chris Rogers has conceded that team doctor Peter Brukner was right to rule him out of both Tests in the West Indies after he suffered concussion when he was struck on the helmet at training.
Rogers said he had had “some pretty bad days” since the incident in the lead-up to the first Test, but he was hopeful that he was on the way to recovery after facing throwdowns in the nets on Thursday.
Rogers initially thought the incident was innocuous but he has suffered from headaches and dizziness since then, and admitted he would not have been fit for the ongoing second Test in Jamaica. He said he had been surprised by how long his symptoms had persisted since being struck on May 31, and while it was a concern he had been assured by Brukner he would recover.
“I got hit on the head when I was just a bit early on a pull shot,” Rogers said. “Then I was actually hit on the box and that’s when I walked away and was a little bit annoyed. To be honest, I didn’t think much of the hit on the head. I’ve been hit on the head quite a few times. I thought it was just another one.
“But then I just didn’t start to feel great. I spoke to the doc and didn’t expect him to rule me out of the Test, but he did. I was a little bit surprised at the time but since then I still haven’t quite recovered. I’ve had some pretty bad days so I think the doc was right. He made the right call.
“You never want to miss a Test, especially for something I thought was fairly insignificant. I guess nowadays any knock to the head can make a difference. I just didn’t really think I’d have the headaches and the dizziness that have come with it. It’s been surprising but that’s what has happened.”
Rogers said at the time he had not worried about the hit from a bowler who “wasn’t even that quick”. He was not aware of having been concussed previously in his career, and said it was hard to watch on from the sidelines but having felt ill after attempting some training he knew that he needed to be ruled out of the Jamaica Test as well as the first in Dominica.
“As an opening batsman and a small one, you tend to cop your fair share on the helmet,” Rogers said. “But I’ve never really had symptoms like this, I must admit. Even just running and taking a few catches and then feeling terrible for the rest of the day. It’s been a bit of a wake-up call.”