BCCI scrutinises fitness monitoring after player cleared for England tour found overweight
Concerns Over Player Fitness Monitoring
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly reviewing its player fitness monitoring system, introducing more rigorous benchmarks and a standardised Bronco Test. This comes after pacer Harshit Rana was found to be overweight following his clearance for a tour to England, alongside other key player injuries. The situation has brought into question the coordination between the Indian team’s medical staff and the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in assessing player fitness.
Harshit Rana’s return from the England tour highlighted issues within the BCCI’s fitness protocols. Despite being cleared for selection, the India pacer was reportedly four kilograms overweight. This discovery has prompted the board to implement stricter and more uniform fitness benchmarks across the squad.
A BCCI source indicated that the Indian team management noted Rana’s overweight status. The CoE had been informed that his weight should not exceed 96 kg. At the time of his clearance for the UK tour, he weighed 97 kg. He is now reported to be 94 kg and is anticipated to be cleared in the coming week. The source emphasised that the CoE should have been more vigilant in this matter.
Rana had been recovering from a knee injury when he was approved for the England tour. This sequence of events has raised questions regarding the synchronisation between the medical teams at the CoE and with the Indian squad in monitoring player fitness. These concerns emerge as India has experienced a series of injuries to significant players, including Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
New Fitness Benchmarks and Inconsistencies
Following the appointment of Adrian Le Roux as India’s strength and conditioning coach last year, the BCCI replaced the Yo-Yo Test with the Bronco Test as its primary fitness assessment. Initially, there was no fixed benchmark for the Bronco Test, leading to different players being evaluated against varying standards. This is now set to change, with the BCCI reportedly establishing a benchmark of 5 minutes 15 seconds to 5 minutes 20 seconds for players to pass the Bronco Test for selection.
Reports also suggest inconsistencies in fitness assessments. A source stated that Indian players were not accustomed to the Bronco Test, and over the past year, the CoE had established different baseline parameters for players. It has come to light that certain senior players were given more lenient targets to meet in order to clear fitness tests. The CoE staff reportedly cleared players like Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy to meet the team management’s requirements.
Furthermore, several regular India players were reportedly not adequately informed about the new fitness regime. For instance, Mohammed Siraj was reportedly surprised when asked to undergo the Bronco Test at the CoE before the team’s departure for the Sri Lanka tour. In addition to the Bronco Test, contracted Indian cricketers will also be required to complete a 2 km sprint within 9 to 10 minutes.
The situation has put the Team India support staff and the BCCI’s CoE in Bengaluru under scrutiny, particularly with a number of top Indian cricketers sidelined by injuries ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Currently, India is without at least four first-choice cricketers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Harshit Rana. Batter Sai Sudharsan is also at the CoE in Bengaluru, dealing with a toe niggle.
Questions have been raised regarding the injury management and recovery processes for Indian cricketers, with particular concern over Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana’s fitness clearance. Rana had sustained a knee injury in a warm-up game against South Africa prior to the T20 World Cup 2026 tournament earlier this year. The pacer, who has played in 2 Tests, 14 ODIs, and 14 T20I matches, missed the entire IPL 2026 season after undergoing knee surgery.
He was subsequently fast-tracked back into the Team India squad for the ODI series against Afghanistan after his surgery in June. It is believed that Rana was still overweight after months on the sidelines due to his knee surgery. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has reportedly questioned new Team India physio Kamlesh Jain regarding the injuries and declining fitness standards. Reports indicate that Rana was sent back to the CoE in Bengaluru from the England tour not due to an injury, but because of severe cramps and being four kilograms overweight. The India versus Sri Lanka series will mark Shubman Gill’s side’s first campaign in the WTC 2025-27 calendar this year.
Source: m.rediff.com
