What is a Grade 4 hamstring tear, the injury that has sidelined Ayush Mhatre?

File picture: Ayush Mhatre is likely to be out of action for a long time. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre’s return to action from a hamstring injury lasted only one innings as he suffered a Grade 4 right hamstring tear in the opening round of the Ranji Trophy, ruling him out for another month.

This was Mhatre’s first game in nearly six months after he injured his left hamstring while batting for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL earlier this year.

What is a Grade 4 hamstring tear?

A Grade 4 hamstring tear is a severe injury involving a complete or near-complete rupture of the hamstring muscle or tendon. It may also involve more than one muscle in the hamstring group.

According to Ramji Srinivasan, high-performance coach and founder-director of Sports Dynamix, who was the strength and conditioning coach of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team, such injuries can occur while sprinting, changing direction suddenly or decelerating. In some cases, the injury may involve an avulsion, in which the tendon is pulled away from the bone.

“Usually, Grade 1, 2 and 3 injuries occur. A Grade 4 tear is a serious issue. An MRI report can give a clear indication of the severity of the injury and help determine the next steps in a phased manner,” Srinivasan said.

He added that several factors could contribute to such an injury and stressed the need to examine Mhatre’s skill workload, exercise protocol and recovery system, particularly given that this is his second hamstring injury.

“The billion-dollar question is why it snapped at the beginning of the season,” he said.