No roadblocks for India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah ace fitness test
The Men in Blue, bound for the Asia Cup in UAE, have successfully completed their fitness test at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. India's T20I vice-captain, Shubman Gill, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Jitesh Sharma, cleared the assessment in Bengaluru ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. Rohit Sharma also underwent the evaluation as part of his preparations for the Australia tour later this year. While Rohit gears up for the ODI series against the Kangaroos, it remains uncertain when Virat Kohli will take his fitness test.
Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Jitesh Sharma clear fitness test ahead of Asia Cup 2025
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were spotted together at the CoE as Indian players appeared for the fitness test in Bengaluru. After completing the India vs England Test series, India's Test captain, Shubman Gill, was appointed as the skipper of North Zone for the Duleep Trophy. However, the youngster fell ill with what was reported as viral fever. Gill missed the Duleep Trophy opener as he recovered from the illness at home. The recent scare, meanwhile, made it crucial for Gill to appear for the fitness test in Bengaluru before he leaves for the UAE to join the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025.
India's pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, was named in the Asia Cup squad after speculations over his workload management. India will kick off the home Test series against the West Indies shortly after the Asia Cup wraps up in the UAE. The packed India cricket schedule raised questions about Bumrah's participation in the marquee tournament. However, dashing the rumors of leaving Bumrah out of the Asia Cup group, the pacer was included in the T20I squad. Now, reports have confirmed that Bumrah has also cleared the fitness test in Bengaluru.
Along with Gill and Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma has also cleared the test. Sharma is likely to feature in the India Playing XI. With Gill in the mix, Sanju Samson is anticipated to face the axe. With Samson out of the equation, Jitesh Sharma will claim the wicketkeeping spot in the team unless the management tries to fix Samson lower in the batting order. Sharma will arrive in the UAE after completing a title-winning campaign with RCB in IPL 2025.
Meanwhile, other players of the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025, namely Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav, are yet to take the test. The above-mentioned players are currently with their respective zonal squads for the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals. Other than the Asia Cup group, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shardul Thakur, and Washington Sundar also appeared for the fitness test.
Jaiswal and Sundar are named as reserve players for the Asia Cup. However, the BCCI has clarified that the reserves won't travel to the UAE for the tournament. Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, is leading West Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy and is gearing up to play the semifinal against Central Zone in Bengaluru. The report further revealed that apart from the standard Yo-Yo Test, every player also took a DXA scan, which is aimed at determining bone density.
Rohit Sharma completes evaluation at CoE, gears up for Australia Tour
Rohit Sharma also joined the group at the Centre of Excellence. The ODI captain's next assignment in the India cricket schedule is the Australia Tour, which is slated to start in October. Already retired from T20I and Test cricket, Rohit, along with Virat Kohli, remains active solely in the 50-over format now. The skipper has started training for the white-ball tour with India's former assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. While Virat Kohli, who was also seen training at Lord's recently, is still to take the fitness test in Bengaluru, Rohit has cleared it.
Speculations are rife about the impending ODI retirements of the senior duo. However, as uncertainty looms over their participation in the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, their presence in Australia is almost certain. With the BCCI allegedly planning to phase out the veterans ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, several reports have suggested that the Australia Tour could mark the last of Rohit and Virat in the last remaining format.
While the speculations keep minting sensational claims, the senior duo have kicked off their training for the upcoming series. Moreover, Rohit Sharma reportedly could also feature in the India A squad for the white-ball series against Australia A. Before India heads to Australia in October, the Australia A squad will arrive in India to play two Tests and three ODIs. The Indian ODI captain, meanwhile, is likely to feature in the ODI series, slated to kick off on September 30.
