Shankar Basu to return to Team India for Champions Trophy

It is believed that Indian team coach Anil Kumble and captain Virat Kohli were in favour of Shankar Basu coming back into the fold as the strength and fitness conditioning coach.

Virat Kohli has worked closely with Kohli on the latest power training techniques.

Shankar Basu will return as the strength and fitness conditioning coach of the Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Sporstar has gathered from reliable sources that Basu, who took a break from the team after the Chennai Test against England last December owing to pressing business and family reasons, will be around with the side for subsequent campaigns as well.

It is believed that Indian team coach Anil Kumble and captain Virat Kohli were in favour of Basu coming back into the fold.

With India set to play several tournaments and series away from home over the next couple of years, the Board too wanted to retain Basu’s expertise.

Anand Date stood in for Basu during the ODI and T20 series against England, one-off Test against Bangladesh and the four-Test series versus Australia.

It has also been learnt that Basu’s family will be allowed to travel with him on tours thrice a year.

Basu introduced the Indian team to the latest methods such as Dexa Scan, load monitoring app, and Yo Yo training after joining the side in June 2015. He has worked closely with Kohli on the latest power training techniques. In Umesh Yadav’s physical transformation, Basu has played a large role.

He was also responsible for the marked improvement in the fitness levels of R. Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

As he has often said, Basu wants to keep raising the fitness bar of the Indian team. “I want to take it to the next level,” he says.