Bengaluru, August 31 – Indian Test captain Shubman Gill, ODI captain Rohit Sharma, and several other players of the national squad successfully cleared their pre-season fitness assessments at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Gill, who was recovering from illness, along with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma, met the required fitness standards.
The 25-year-old Punjab batsman, appointed as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20 tournament, was required to undergo mandatory testing after missing the Duleep Trophy due to fever, where he had been named captain of the North Zone. He had been resting at his hometown in recent days before reporting to Bengaluru.
As per agency report, other players who passed the fitness tests without difficulty included Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, and Shardul Thakur. In addition to the standard Yo-Yo test, a simplified DXA scan was also conducted to assess bone density. While Jaiswal and Sundar remain on the standby list for the continental tournament, Thakur will stay back in the city to lead West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone starting September 4.
Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test and T20 formats, currently has no immediate assignments but may travel to Australia in November for an ODI series. Before that, he could feature for India A in three one-day matches against Australia A scheduled in Kanpur on September 30, October 3, and October 5. Though confirmation is awaited, Rohit is expected to continue training at the Centre of Excellence for a few more days.
Other Asia Cup squad members such as Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, and standby player Riyan Parag have already played in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals for their respective zonal teams and will not undergo separate fitness tests. However, standby wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, captain of Central Zone, had to withdraw from the quarterfinal due to back pain and remains under medical supervision.
With the Asia Cup beginning on September 9 in Dubai, the Indian team will soon depart for the tournament, with all key players now cleared on the fitness front.
