The Indian captain, Virat Kohli, is one of the fittest cricketers in the world. In the last couple of years, he has inspired many young Indian cricketers to work hard on their fitness in order to be able to play all three formats of the game consistently.
Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made Yo-Yo fitness test mandatory for selection and veteran cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina suffered because of their lack of fitness.
Now, Indian cricketers are now undergoing DNA test that reveals the genetic fitness blueprint of an individual, to give more boost to the fitness campaign. The test helps a sportsman improve speed, fat burning, endurance, recovery time and muscle building.
A senior BCCI official confirmed the news and said that the idea was initiated by Shankar Basu and it has proved to be very beneficial.
“Yes, we have started the DNA test for the Indian cricket team for some time now. It is basically in line with the new fitness parameters, which has been set by the team management. The DNA test was first introduced in the NBA (basketball) and the NFL in the United States.
He also added that BCCI spends between Rs 25000 to Rs 30000 on each player for this test.
“The idea was mooted by Shankar Basu and it has proved to be extremely beneficial. For conducting each and every player’s test, the BCCI spends between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 which is a nominal amount,” a senior BCCI official was quoted asa saying by Zee News.
As compared to skinfold test which was a part of Indian cricket team’s fitness has now become less beneficial because of lack of accuracy and this is the reason why BCCI decided to switch to DNA test.
“Skinfold test was used primarily for a long time but it was found out that results related to body fat percentage were not accurate enough. Then there was a switch to DEXA test for calculation of body fat percentage.
“The DNA test is being done so that the body’s needs are known to maintain a particular fat percentage,” the official, who is aware of the module, further added.
He also pointed out some of the mistakes cricketers have been making.
“Some of them are having copious amount of milk since childhood as it is a common belief that milk gives you strength. Then they found out that despite training, their body is not able to measure up to the demands of modern-day game.
“When this test started, some players understood that they are lactose intolerant or some who have craving for mutton biryani know what their body needs after eating a particular kind of food,” he added.
