Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson among six players to have failed BCCI’s new fitness test – Report


Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson among six players to have failed BCCI’s new fitness test – Report

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson

Fitness has been at the top of the priority list of the Indian side for some time now. And it has led to exponential growth in the team’s performance. In a bid to further improve the side’s fitness, BCCI has decided to introduce a new fitness Test. A TOI report understands that the junior players undertook the new test.

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Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Ratna, Rahul Tewatia, Siddarth Kaul and Jaydev Unadkat have failed the test conducted at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). A source in the know of things shares that they will be given another chance to clear the test. If they fail, their chances of making it to the side for the white-ball leg of the England tour decreases dramatically.

Since this is a new type of fitness test, they will all get a second chance to clear it at a fresh date, after some gap. However, if they fail to clear it, then it puts their selection for the forthcoming white-ball series comprising five T20Is and three ODIs against England at home in doubt,” a source told TOI.

What is the 2KM test?

Indian players in training
Indian players in training

The source explains that the new test is one where players have to cover a distance of 2 kilometers in a stipulated time. For batsmen, wicketkeepers and spinners, the limit is set at eight minutes and 30 seconds. While for pacers, the time comes down to eight minutes and 15 seconds. This is not the first time Samson failed in a fitness test. The Kerala gloveman had failed the Yo-Yo test earlier which saw him miss the England tour.

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A few fitness tests were conducted for around 20-odd cricketers who are in the reckoning for the limited-overs series against England at home, and for the T20 World Cup in India later this year. Among these tests was the now-famous yo-yo test and the new ‘2km run’ fitness test.

In this test, a batsman, wicketkeeper or a spinner has to complete the two kilometer distance in eight minutes and 30 seconds, while for a fast bowler, the benchmark is eight minutes and 15 seconds. Six of the players failed to clear these tests. Some players barely managed to complete the run,” the source said.

The source further revealed that Indian skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri are fully convinced that this new test should become mandatory for future selections alongside the Yo-Yo test.

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