48 hours after the SL series, India’s top stars will appear for the mandatory fitness tests

India’s top centrally contracted cricketers gathered at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru on Saturday to undergo a pre-season fitness assessment, barely two days after the grueling two-Test tour of Sri Lanka ended.

Despite spending three intense days on the field during the seriesseveral members of the Test squad have turned up to meet their fitness requirements as the team prepares for a busy eight-month program that will ultimately lead to the Indian Premier League in 2027.

Among those present were senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. T20I captain Shreyas Iyer also attended, alongside Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson and Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Players are required to undergo a series of tests, including the Bronco test, a 2km run and the Yo-Yo test. The program also includes cricket-specific exercises such as running between the wickets.

Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy are yet to undergo tests as they continue their rehabilitation and will do so once they are cleared to return to full fitness. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna have been given time off from practice after a heavy workload in the back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka.

The positive news was on the injury side of Prince Yadav, who has recovered from the hamstring problem he suffered during India’s tour of Great Britain and is available for selection again.

India’s domestic season begins in September with an unusual arrangement, three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, which was described as hosting on home soil.

The calendar will then see India’s first T20I team travel to Japan for the Asian Games, while a separate group of white-ball specialists take on the West Indies in a home series at the same time. The home schedule will also include the India A series against Australia A in Puducherry, which is scheduled from the last week of September to the second week of October.

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Published on:

29 Aug 2026 21:28 IST