Indian Cricketers Undergo Mandatory Fitness Tests In Bengaluru Ahead Of Packed Home Season

India's top centrally-contracted cricketers reported at the Centre of Excellence on Saturday for mandatory fitness tests, less than 48 hours after completing a gruelling two-Test away series against Sri Lanka.

Test regulars and shortest-format specialists sweated it out to mark their pre-season physical parameters. Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, keeper-batter Rishabh Pant and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal trained alongside T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson and Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Rigorous Fitness Benchmarks Set

The mandatory fitness evaluations include the 'Bronco Test', a 2k run, the YoYo test and cricket-specific drills like running between the wickets. The Bronco Test serves as a key fitness marker where cones are placed at 0m, 20m, 40m and 60m. Players run from the start to each marker and back without a break, repeating the sequence for five sets to cover 1,200m in five-and-a-half minutes.

The benchmark for the YoYo test remains 16.5, while the 2k run (2,000m) must be completed within 10 minutes.

Exemptions And Injury Updates

Several players undergoing rehabilitation will skip the current testing cycle. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kr Reddy will appear for these fitness drills only when they are declared fully fit.

Fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are temporarily exempted because they bowled extensively in the back-to-back Tests in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Prince Yadav, who sustained a hamstring niggle during India's tour of the UK, is now fit and available for selection.

Packed Home Season Ahead

The BCCI's home season, known as 'India Cricket', commences every September. The upcoming calendar spans a gruelling eight-month period that concludes with the 2027 Indian Premier League.

The season begins in New Delhi with an "away series at home" against Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series. This packed schedule requires a split-squad setup.

The first-choice T20 team will travel to Japan for the Asian Games while another set of white-ball experts plays the West Indies in a home series. Meanwhile, Puducherry will host an India A series against Australia A from the final week of September until the second week of October.