The BCCI has reportedly begun a major overhaul of the fitness programme at its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru after a string of injuries and inconsistencies exposed flaws in India’s player management system.
According to a report, the review was triggered after concerns emerged over varying fitness standards, recurring injuries and a lack of uniform benchmarks during player assessments. The latest setback to Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series with a knee injury, has only intensified the spotlight on India’s fitness protocols.
No common benchmark
The report claims the confusion began after Adrian Le Roux replaced Soham Desai as India’s strength and conditioning coach last year. The team moved from the Yo-Yo test to the Bronco test, but unlike its predecessor, the new assessment initially lacked standardised benchmarks.
Instead, players were reportedly assessed against customised targets. According to the report, some senior players were given relatively comfortable benchmarks, while younger players such as Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were assessed according to requirements set by the team management.
The absence of a common standard is believed to have prompted the BCCI to standardise fitness parameters across all contracted players.
Harshit Rana and Siraj highlight the problem
Two cases cited in the report illustrate the inconsistencies.
Harshit Rana was reportedly sent back to the Centre of Excellence after the third T20I against Zimbabwe when the Indian team management flagged that he was around four kilograms overweight. The report states Rana weighed 97 kg when he was cleared for the England tour, but has now been instructed to remain below 95 kg before returning to action.
Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, was reportedly caught by surprise after being asked to undergo revised Bronco testing upon reporting to the CoE ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. According to the report, contracted players have only recently been informed of the baseline standards expected under the updated fitness programme.
Stricter rules ahead
The report also claims the BCCI has expressed dissatisfaction with the recent decline in fitness standards and the growing number of injuries.
In response, the CoE has introduced stricter return-to-play protocols. Players recovering from injuries will now have to clear the Bronco test on two separate occasions before receiving fitness clearance. Fitness assessments will also become more frequent, with players undergoing testing every six months or whenever they report to a training camp.
While neither the BCCI nor the Centre of Excellence has officially commented on the report, the proposed changes signal a tougher and more standardised approach as India looks to reduce injuries and improve player fitness ahead of a packed international calendar.
