With the break officially over, India Cricket Team stars will join a six-day camp ahead of Asia Cup 2023 starting today. While the India Asia Cup camp in Alur (near Bengaluru) will be particularly important for match simulations, it will also be crucial for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj. All the stars will have to pass a fitness test before being allowed to play in the Asia Cup.
Players who returned from the West Indies and are not part of the Ireland series were given a 13-day fitness regimen while they were away. The group of players with a fitness plan also includes Mohammad Shami, who has been away since the WTC Final in June.
Now that the entire Asia Cup 2023 squad is back together, all the players will undergo a complete body check including blood work as per an Indian Express report.
Physios at the National Cricket Academy will check for players’ fitness. Those who fail to meet the standards could be pulled out of the Asia Cup squad.
NCA’s special programme for Asia Cup 2023 squad
- The fitness regimen is more about mobility, shoulder care and glute muscles.
- Furthermore, players are also focusing on strength.
- NCA had designed special regimens for each player.
- Every player had to take a specific amount of protein, complete gym sessions, walk and run, followed by swimming sessions.
- The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also had to take yoga sessions with nine hours of sleep.
- Furthermore, NCA designed specific drills for each player.
A BCCI official explained that the NCA designed the programme in such a way that players don’t lose fitness. With Asia Cup 2023 and the three-match ODI series against Australia before World Cup 2023, it is crucial for all players to maintain paramount fitness.
“This is a special programme designed for players as we want them fit for the next two months. The trainer will come to know who has followed the programme and who hasn’t. The team management will then take a call on what to do with players who have not followed their programme,” a BCCI official told Indian Express.
World Cup 2023 squad selection
With the September 5 deadline for preliminary squad selection, the camp will also work as a pre-World Cup camp. Selectors and NCA will work together to understand the fitness reports and take a call on squad selection.
With a string of long-term injuries, BCCI and the NCA do not want to take any chances. KL Rahul is still recovering from his injury and he may get a pass from the rigorous fitness exercise in Alur. On the road to recovery from a thigh surgery, KL Rahul suffered a fresh setback. As things stand, he is set to miss at least the first two matches of Asia Cup 2023. It also includes the India vs Pakistan clash on September 2.
“Shreyas has been declared completely fit. Rahul, in the last few days, not his original injury, has incurred a niggle. That is why Sanju Samson will be travelling with the team. But the physio… I’m sure there will be an official statement. But we are at some stage expecting him to be completely fit. If not at the start of the Asia Cup, maybe in the second or the third game. He is well on track,” Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the BCCI selection committee said announcing India’s Asia Cup squad on Monday.
India Asia Cup 2023 Squad
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
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