Fitness tests in Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and other team India members

Bangalore: While action unfolds at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with Team India taking on Afghanistan in a historic one-off Test, other members of the team have reportedly undergone their fitness tests in the same complex at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ground.

The likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Bhvuneshwar Kumar, Kedar Jadhav, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal took the test, according to ESPNCricinfo. Team India skipper Kohli, who had to call out his English county cricket stint with Surrey earlier due to a neck injury trained in the presence of trainer Shankar Basu. Earlier it was reported that the team management wanted to raise the Yo-Yo test bar from 16.1 to 16.3, keeping the 2019 Cricket World Cup in mind.

It is learnt that head coach Ravi Shastri wanted the fitness test to be mandatory, and those who do not attain the required score would not be considered for national selection, as per a report by the Ahmedabad Mirror. “Ravi has instructed that every player must pass the Yo-Yo test. He has taken the decision keeping in view the tough overseas assignments for the team, including next year’s World Cup,” a close source revealed. Last year in October, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the Yo-Yo test mandatory for any Indian cricketer to be eligible for national selection.