India skipper Virat Kohli has strongly suggested that players are expected to strictly follow the rules when it comes to fitness and what is required to be part of the team. He was responding to a question on spinner Varun Chakravarthy who failed his YoYo fitness test at least twice ahead of the T20I series against England.
“Look, individuals need to understand the systems that have been created for the Indian cricket team. We should operate at the very high levels of fitness and skills and that’s why this (team) is top of the ladder when playing cricket, in our country,” Kohli said during the pre-match press conference.
“We would expect players to abide by what’s required to be a part of Team India. There shouldn’t be space for any compromise, in that regard,” he added.
Chakravarthy was selected for the five-match T20I series in which he would have made his Team India debut. The 29-year-old was selected for the Australia tour last year, but a shoulder injury ruled him out and he was sent to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. However, the spinner did not clear the fitness test after recovering from the injury and undergoing rehab at NCA. He was thus ruled out of the upcoming series.
“Varun Chakravarthy was selected because he recovered from his shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Australia series. He did his rehab at the NCA and started throwing normally. However, he has failed to clear the YoYo test mark stipulated for a 2km run at least twice,” a senior BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI.
India will take on the Eoin Morgan-led side in the five-match T20I series starting Friday in Ahmedabad. The T20s will be followed by a three-match ODI series in Pune.
