Virat Kohli Lone Indian Player To Give Fitness Test In London, BCCI 'Exemption' Triggers Row: Report
Virat Kohli gave his fitness examination in London as most of the other Indian players were tested at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
- Virat Kohli reportedly gave his mandatory fitness test in London, with the BCCI's special permission
- Most Indian players completed fitness tests at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru
- Fitness tests included yo-yo scores and basic strength assessments for all players
As most of the Indian players reached the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for their fitness tests, Virat Kohli remained the only active player to give his test in London, where he is currently residing with his family. According to a report, Kohli sought special permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to undergo his fitness test in the United Kingdom, while most of the other players in the team flew to Bengaluru for their fitness examination. Though Kohli passed the test, the special exemption for the mandatory fitness examinations to be done in London is bound to trigger a debate.Â
The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, etc., all reportedly passed their fitness tests in Bengaluru. Kohli, on the other hand, also did so, but in London under approved supervision, as per a report in Dainik Jagran.Â
Most of the currently active players have undergone their fitness tests, but a few still remain due to injury or unavailability. Members of India's T20I squad are set to fly to the United Arab Emirates soon for the Asia Cup 2025 campaign. Kohli isn't a part of India's squad for the Asia Cup, being held in the T20 format this time, as he has retired from the shortest form of the game.
The Hindi daily further claimed that the players who have given their fitness tests (fully or partially) are: Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Jitesh Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhinav Manohar, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Mukesh Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Sarfaraz Khan, Tilak Varma, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Dhruv Jurel, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The fitness tests included assessments of the players' yo-yo scores and basic strength tests. As per the report, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are among the top stars whose tests will be done this month.
Phase 2 of the tests is also to be done, where the likes of KL Rahul, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant will reportedly be tested.
It has also been reported that Virat was the only player whose test was done outside the country. None of the other player sought such an exemption. When a BCCI official was asked about Virat's case, he reportedly said that the iconic cricketer would've taken approval for such a request. However, the report also adds that it isn't yet known if such an exemption can be given to any other player seeking a similar solution or not.
Seeing the men's national team's long injury list, the BCCI and the team management have become more serious about fitness. The board has now made it mandatory for every cricketer to undergo a fitness test before being selected for any squad.
Virat Kohli