Fitness Tests Are No Longer Considered “Selection Criteria” For India’s Contracted Players. Reports

For men’s cricket players under central contract, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) is said to have eliminated fitness tests as a “selection criteria” during the previous two years. “Injury preventive tests” are now the main focus instead.

After the Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli eras, when the squad required a set of standards, fitness tests like the Yo-Yo test became a crucial part of the selection process.

As per The Times of India, the National Council of Agencies (NCA) employs three “performance”: the National Fitness Training Criteria, which comprises the Yo-Yo test and other similar programs, to be completed every 12 to 16 weeks; the Performance Testing Battery, which should be completed every six weeks; and the Prevention Testing Battery, which should be completed every two weeks. However, these are merely considered “fitness measures” rather than “selection criteria.”

“The idea is that once a player is centrally contracted, he must have reached the desired level of fitness, With the amount of cricket and time they spend on the road, it is unreasonable for contracted players to undergo NFTC tests. So, the focus has shifted to injury prevention and performance tests,” a BCCI source told TOI.

“Team India strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai, along with physios Yogesh Parmar, Thulasi, and Kamlesh Jain, has done a great job keeping the players in shape through the 2023 ODI World Cup and this T20 World Cup,” BCCI source added.

India beat South Africa by 7 runs to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024:

India’s comprehensive win over South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, helped the Indian team stop the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy drought after 13 years.

An exciting finish was on the cards in a see-sawing match South Africa played on Saturday and despite their best efforts, the Proteas were unable to subdue a formidable Indian bowling line.