In a development that has fueled a quiet debate in Indian cricket circles, Virat Kohli reportedly underwent his mandatory fitness test in London instead of joining his teammates in the BCCI Center of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru last week.
According to a Dainik Jagran report, the BCCI Kohli granted special permission to complete the assessment abroad, making it the only Indian cricket player who does this.
Senior players, including Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav, appeared on August 29, for their tests in the COE in Bengaluru.
However, Kohli was allowed to complete his evaluation in London, where he is currently staying with his family.
A senior BCCI officer did not immediately comment on the deviation from the protocol, but hinted that the 35-year-old prior approval would have sought.
‘He would have taken prior permission“Said the officer.
The fitness evaluations, required for the Asia Cup 2025 and the packaged international calendar, measured basic strength and recovery levels.
While most players have cleaned up their benchmarks, some partial assessments underwent as a result of continuous rehabilitation or workload management. Emerging names such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh were also tested.
A second test phase has been set for September, which include KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy, players in repair or return-to-play phases.
Kohli, who withdrew from T20is and tests, remains available for ODIS and is expected to be part of the team for the upcoming Australia tour in October-November.
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