BENGALURU, INDIA — There are questions about the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when it was said that star player Virat Kohli was given a special exemption for his pre-season fitness test. The rest of the Indian team, including stars like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj, had to take their examinations at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru last week. Kohli, on the other hand, was allowed to take his test in London, where he is currently with his family.
Dainik Jagran says that the decision has aroused concerns in Indian cricket circles because all national team players are usually expected to follow the same rules. The fitness tests are an important element of getting ready for the team’s busy international calendar, which includes the ODI series against Australia in October and November.
A high-ranking BCCI official didn’t specifically acknowledge that the process was different from the norm, but they did say that Kohli “would have taken prior approval” for his inspection in London. The BCCI’s physiotherapists and strength and conditioning trainers have sent the board individual fitness reports for all players, including Kohli’s.
This isn’t the first time Kohli has been the focus of a discussion about fitness. There is a lot of information about his past and how he always meets his fitness goals. However, the exceptional permission he received has started a quiet debate about whether other players would be able to get similar exceptions in the future, especially those who have personal commitments or are healing from injuries while they are abroad.
The recent fitness tests were the initial part of the testing, and they looked at baseline strength and recovery. Most players, like Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Shami, met the standards, while a handful only got partial ratings since they were still working on their conditioning and managing their workloads. Players who are now in the “return-to-play” stage, like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant, will have a second round of testing in September.
As injuries and player workload become more and more of a problem, the BCCI has made fitness rules tougher, making it standard for players to get medical clearances before big events. Kohli’s special arrangement may seem like a one-time thing, but it raises a bigger question for the BCCI: should fitness testing be done in other locations, or should it stay a rare privilege just for extraordinary cases?