India senior men clear mandatory fitness tests ahead of Asia Cup

Several members of India’s senior men's cricket setup completed mandatory preseason fitness assessments at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru over the weekend, officials and media reports said, clearing a key hurdle ahead of the Asia Cup and a packed whiteball schedule. Test captain Shubman Gill, ODI captain Rohit Sharma, fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, and a cohort of other players underwent the battery of tests on August 30 and 31 and were reported to have passed the required standards.

The assessments are part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s tightened fitness protocols. Players were evaluated on established measures such as the Yo-Yo endurance test and a DXA scan to measure bone density and body composition, while some reports said the newly introduced Bronco conditioning drill was also used. Those who fail the tests are ineligible for selection until they clear the benchmarks, selectors and medical staff have said previously.

PTI and other outlets reported that Gill, Rohit, Bumrah, Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma were among those who completed their checks at the CoE....