With a long and busy international cricketing calendar ahead, several Team India stars are expected to undergo pre-season fitness tests at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Rohit Sharma, India's 50-over skipper, and Shubman Gill, India's red-ball skipper, are among the other players who will undergo a yo-yo test and also a Dexa Scan to determine their bone density.
Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source
While several big Indian stars will report to the CoE in the coming weeks, there is no clarity on the Indian and RCB legend Virat Kohli's availability for the pre-season proceedings.
Rohit Sharma available but Virat Kohli's status doubtful for Yo-Yo Test
Rohit and Kohli are playing in just one format for India: the One-Day Internationals (ODIs). So, they won't be playing in the Asia Cup and are only expected to feature for India in the three-match ODI series against Australia in October, for which they have reportedly started their preparations.
Earlier, reports suggested that the BCCI and the team management are not keen on continuing with the duo and might be overlooked for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. Others suggest that the Australia tour might well be the last time the fans see the Indian legends in blue playing for the nation.
READ: Asia Cup 2025: Format, teams and groups explained
Amid all the chatter, Rohit is all set to join the other Indian players for the pre-season fitness assessments. A total of seven players, including Rohit, Gill, Jaiswal, Bumrah, Shardul, Siraj, and Washington Sundar, will undergo the fitness tests in Bengaluru.
"All players have to undergo a pre-season fitness Test, it’s mandatory as per the contract. These tests help the COE understand the areas the players have to work on or where they are lacking. As there was a big break (after the England Test series), the players were given sets of exercises to do at home," a BCCI official stated.
These tests are routine and are a part of pre-season preparations. However, there is no clarity over the participation of Virat Kohli in the assessments. Virat last featured for India in the Champions Trophy and played a key role in helping India lift the title.
What's ahead for Team India?
India's T20I side is set to travel to the UAE for the ACC Men's Asia Cup next week. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side is expected to carry out their first net session on September 5 at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
Post the Asia Cup, India will host West Indies for a two-match Test series, before travelling to Australia for a white-ball tour.
RELATED LINKS:
- WATCH: Unseen Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh 'slapgate' video from IPL 2008 released by Lalit Modi
- RCB announces financial support to fans who lost lives in IPL 2025 title celebration tragedy
- Nitish Rana vs Digvesh Rathi fight video: RR batter hits brutal century after clash with LSG spinner in Delhi Premier League