Senior Indian Players Including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli To Take Part In Fitness Test: Report

Apart from Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, players like Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will attend the camp.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in action.

Source : Getty

Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, the Indian cricket team is set to gather to take part in a preparatory camp at Alur, Bangalore, from Thursday. According to the reports by the Indian Express, stalwarts like Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma will be attending a 13-day fitness programme and will also undergo a complete body test, including blood. Trainers will evaluate their fitness and those who fail to meet the standard will be pulled up as the board does not want to take risks since the World Cup is coming soon.

As per the reports by the Indian Express, cricketers who came back from the West Indies and are not taking part in the three-match T20 series against Ireland have been asked to join the  13-day programme. Apart from Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, players like Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will attend the camp.

“This is a special programme designed for players as we want them fit for the next two months. The trainer will come to know who has followed the programme and who hasn’t. The team management will then take a call on what to do with players who have not followed their programme,” a BCCI official said.

Injuries have been a huge concern for the Indian team for the past few years as players like Jasprit Bumrah, Kl Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were ruled out due to injuries and as a result, they missed out on playing in a few major tournaments. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) designed the special 13-day programme after consulting with the physiotherapists and trainers to assess players’ fitness levels before the preparation camp. 

Earlier on Monday, Indian selectors picked the team for the Asia Cup and chief selector Ajit Agarkar ensured that the team for the World Cup will be selected from the 18 who will go to Sri Lanka.

“It is really a no-brainer. We have picked 18 guys. So it will be in and around these guys. We have a few important players coming back from injuries. Hopefully, all goes well with them. Fortunately, we have some more time. September 5 is the deadline. We have a short camp and a couple of games before picking the squad. It will obviously be around these guys,” Agarkar said.