Rohit Sharma gears up for Yo-Yo test at NCA, Ajinkya Rahane waits as replacement

Bengaluru: Team India batsman Rohit Sharma will be undergoing the Yo-Yo fitness test on Tuesday at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru with Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane being put on standby for the England tour.

The Yo-Yo test is a mandatory fitness parameter for players set by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) for a place in national team. And with competition for spots getting tighter along a growing fitness culture led by captain Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri and the team management have raised the bar to a score of 16.1, according to India Today.

The selected players have been prepping up for the upcoming tour of England with the high-intensity test but not Rohit, who had taken permission from the BCCI for postponing it to Tuesday.

It is learnt that there is doubt over Rohit’s fitness as he previously failed the Yo-Yo test twice during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season. As a result, his Mumbai counterpart Rahane has been put on standby for the ODI squad in case Rohit needs to be swapped.

There is a section in BCCI which even feels that Ajinkya Rahane's limited overs case has not been handled well by the selectors and the current team management (skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri), a senior BCCI official told PTI.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, who had taken permission from the BCCI to skip the 15 June YoYo test on that particular day, will appear for the same at the NCA on Sunday.

"Rohit had taken permission from the BCCI for his personal engagements (he is in Russia as a brand ambassador of a watch company). There's no rule that all tests have to be conducted on the same day. He will be appearing for the YoYo Test tomorrow," GM (cricket Operations) Saba Karim said.

With 2019 World Cup in mind, the Indian selection committee had earlier brought back veteran left-hander Suresh Raina in the One-Day squad for the England tour, replacing Ambati Rayudu, who failed his fitness test.

The 31-year-old Raina, a seasoned campaigner of 223 ODIs with 5568 runs under his belt, is a part of the current T20 squad. He beat an in-form Rishabh Pant due to his vast experience.

Raina last played 50-over format in 2015 October and is making a comeback after two years and 8 months.