Fitness tests mandatory for Karnataka cricketers

Month-long preparatory camp for the 2021-22 domestic season will gauge where the players stand.

Published : Sep 15, 2021 21:57 IST , BENGALURU

Batsman Rohan Patil practising on the opening day of Karnataka’s preparatory camp ahead of the domestic cricket 2021-22 season.
Batsman Rohan Patil practising on the opening day of Karnataka’s preparatory camp ahead of the domestic cricket 2021-22 season.
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Batsman Rohan Patil practising on the opening day of Karnataka’s preparatory camp ahead of the domestic cricket 2021-22 season.

Selection into the Karnataka State senior cricket team will now require players to clear mandatory fitness tests, including the Yo-Yo. Coach Yere Goud, on the opening day of the preparatory camp ahead of the 2021-22 domestic season, said the standards have been set in line with those recommended by the National Cricket Academy.

“Earlier we had normal fitness standards, but not all were mandatory. We conducted tests like Yo-Yo and last year we also had the 2 km running test. But players had to clear one of them. From this year, whoever wants to be part of the final 20 will have to mandatorily clear [everything] to be eligible,” Goud said.

From the group of 35 probables announced on Monday, 23 players were in attendance on Wednesday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with the others away on IPL duties in the UAE.

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The idea over the next 30 to 40 days leading up to the start of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on November 4 will be to assess where the players stood in terms of their cricketing skills and fitness. Goud also said there would be one-on-one sessions with all players to understand what they individually want from the camp.

“Most of the youngsters who have come in.. K. V. Aneesh, Rohan Patil, Vidhyadhar Patil… I’ve coached them at the U-16 and U-19 levels. So I know what they bring to the team and have watched their progress. Rather than just us expressing what we want from them [players], we want to know where they see themselves by the end of the camp.”

Goud stated that one of the goals of the camp will be to bolster the fast-bowling unit so that workload can be managed better. But as it stands, Ronit More and Prateek Jain, though part of the probables, have fitness concerns and V. Koushik hasn’t found a place among the 35.

“We have time. Ronit is at NCA. Players will play in the KSCA T20 tournament to prove their fitness. Selectors have also told us that the current probables list is not final. It is not that the final 20 will be from this list alone. There is the Super League coming up and everyone has a chance. Koushik does not have any fitness issues and has been playing in the league. We will see.”

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