All eyes on MS Dhoni as new fitness tests await team India

The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League has come to an end with all eyeballs shifting back on international cricket. Team India will resume their international duties with a one-off Test against Afghanistan before heading Europe for a long tour of Ireland and England. Before the international season kicks off, a big test awaits the players of the Indian team.

The recent reports in Times of India suggest that the BCCI has planned a rigorous fitness test for the players to prove their fitness before they take the field in the Indian colours. The BCCI had recently announced multiple squads for the various team India and India A assignments.

The squads for Afghanistan Test, T20Is against England, T20Is and ODIs against England, India A one-dayers against England Lions and Windies A, and India A four-day matches were announced by the selectors. Now, a source from the BCCI has revealed that all the players will undergo the fitness tests between June 5 and June 10.

As has been the case in the recent times, the yo-yo test will be the primary test that the players will take. In addition to that, the players will undergo the DEXA scans for “dual-energy absorptiometry. The DEXA scan is the proposed international standard for measuring body composition and bone health – a 10-minute test that measures total body fat and includes the exact breakdown of bone mass, fat tissue, and muscle in your body.”

Youngster look up to MS Dhoni

Needless to concede, all eyes in the tests will be on the 36-year old MS Dhoni. Ramji Srinivasan, the former team India physical trainer, was recently associated with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2018. He remarked that Dhoni led from the front when it came to the fitness aspect of the players.

“MS is still the fittest of them all in the Team India ranks. Look at the shape he’s in, considering he’s not playing around the year. Extremely impressive. He’s the one from who the rest should be seeking inspiration,” Ramji quoted.

[interaction id=”5b0fd377de3861bc09545bfb”]

For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.