India vs Afghanistan: How Indian cricketers battle IPL fatigue, from waking up at 11am to having breakfast at 8.30am

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant during training ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. (PTI) TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: Three days after the IPL final, Team India is trying to roll back 75 days of muscle memory. Late night matches, post-match recovery sessions until the wee hours of the morning and a leisurely morning defined the players’ routine during the tournament. Now these habits have been replaced by early breakfasts, long sessions at the net and the demands of red-ball cricket. Before taking on Afghanistan, Indian cricketers must first overcome the lingering effects of the IPL grind and set their body clocks for the longest format.Eight cricketers from the 15-member Indian squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan featured in IPL 2026 finalists Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT). Seven of them, including captain Shubman Gill, pacers Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, opener Sai Sudharshan and all-rounder Washington Sundar, played for GT in the final. Devdutt Padikkal featured for RCB. And after a few days, the Test team assembled in Chandigarh and started preparing for the red ball competition. Scheduling was a punishment for cricketers. And that’s just the beginning.Later this year, India will travel to New Zealand for a tri-format tour from October 22 to December 1. The turnaround between India’s fifth ODI and the first Test against the Kiwis is just three days. The fifth ODI is scheduled for November 15 and the first Test of the two-match series will start on November 19.Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Thursday that the scheduling issue has been resolved and Strength and Conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux has mapped out a plan for the players to shake off the IPL hangover.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir (L) during a training session ahead of the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan in New Chandigarh. (PTI)

“That’s a great point. As you say, the IPL time cycle is so different from what Test matches require. The guys had three days to do it,” he told reporters on Thursday.“They had an early practice on Wednesday. Today (Thursday) is in the afternoon. Tomorrow (Friday) will be morning again. Tomorrow will be voluntary. I think the guys have made it their mission to get up early. I’ve seen a lot of guys around the cafeteria the last couple of days.“Adrian (Le Roux) planned some things in the gym early in the morning just to get the guys up and adjust their time slots. These guys are good professionals. They know what’s needed and they’ll adjust accordingly to make sure they’re ready for the Test match on Saturday morning and an early start,” he added. According to Ten Doeschate, managing sleep cycles proved to be one of the biggest challenges during the transition, especially after the IPL.“Our job is just to prepare players for what’s ahead. Sleep cycle is probably at the top of that list and that’s being addressed,” he told Doeschate.But changing sleep patterns is only one part of the process. The bigger task, according to the former Dutch all-rounder, is to help players get rid of T20 habits and rediscover the patience and discipline that Test cricket requires.“But I think from a white-ball to a red-ball perspective or an IPL to a Test match, cricket really detoxes them and that’s what these three days have been,” he said.“You want to make sure guys are making decisions based on where the ball is pitched. You want to make some technical tweaks to maybe how you set it up and how you keep the shape of the bat and all that stuff,” explained Doeschate.

From looking white to red ball or from IPL to Test match cricket really detoxes them and that’s what these three days have been

Ryan the Doeschate

Indian training sessions in recent days have reflected this philosophy. Long batting, slip-catching practice and extended bowling spells have replaced the explosive, fast-paced routines associated with T20 cricket.“The last two days and of course today and tomorrow have been all about that,” Ten Doeschate said.“I’m just detoxing guys, we’re going to make sure those habits that are necessary to be successful in white-ball cricket are put to bed and focus on playing proper Test cricket.”

Mohammed Siraj during training ahead of the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan in Mullanpur. (PTI)

Ten Doeschate also acknowledged the unique challenge of jumping straight from the IPL to a one-off Test in extreme summer conditions.“I don’t think good or bad is worth thinking about. It’s definitely a challenge,” he said.The assistant coach of the Indian cricket team pointed out that the Indian players rarely shied away from challenging tasks, be it technical, tactical or mental.“You play the IPL final five days ago at night and now you have to come and start a Test match early in the morning in 34-35 degrees. Just another challenge on the road and the boys will accept it as they always do,” he added.