Table of Contents
ToggleThe BCCI plans to ensure that the same fitness training module is to be followed from U-19 (men and women) to senior state teams and subsequently national teams.
The BCCI has joined hands with the Australian Strength & Conditioning Association (ASCA) to create a pool of world-class trainers (S&C coaches) in the country, in its bid to create uniformity in the training system across ranks.
Recently, the BCCI has formed its Sports Science section at the National Cricket Academy, which is being headed by former national team head physio Dr. Nitin Patel.
BCCI Joined Hands With The Australian Strength And Conditioning Association (ASCA) To Create A Pool Of Strength And Conditioning Coaches
BCCI has now come up with the concept of creating a program that will “increase the knowledge base of fitness trainers across all levels in BCCI.” From the concept note that BCCI shared with state unit trainers, it is understood that the idea is to ensure that from U-19 (men and women) to senior state teams and subsequently national teams, the same training module is to be followed by all the teams involved.
“Often, we see that at the state level, the Strength and Conditioning training is completely different from what is there at India U-19, A, or senior teams. This course will create enough S&C coaches, who can then follow the curriculum at the state level also,” a former India A trainer, aware of developments said on conditions of anonymity.

The former India A trainer then cited how some of the state teams have completely different ideas of S&C training from what the national team or NCA follows.
“Let me give you an example of this Ranji season. The BCCI had sent a note to all-state teams that the YoYo test (aerobic endurance fitness test) and 2k run, which were earlier used as fitness parameters are no longer mandatory as full season post-COVID is starting and we don’t know about the lung capacity of players.”
“Still at DDCA, Rajkumar Sharma and his coaching staff used YoYo as a parameter to decide who are eligible candidates when the world is acknowledging that it is not a parameter to judge cricketing fitness,” he said.
The idea is to have such a training program where there is less interference from old-school coaches across some state teams, whose idea of S&C training is still archaic.
BCCI Source Informed 114 Candidates Will Be Taught By 6 Professionals
As per the BCCI-ASCA tie-up, it will be a three-year course with Year-1 being ‘Cricket Specific S&C Beginner Program’ followed by Year-2 which will have ‘Cricket Specific S&C Intermediate Program’ and the final Year-3 will have ‘Cricket Specific S&C Advanced Program’.
As per the program requirement, 114 candidates (potential S&C trainers) across 38 affiliated units will be undergoing the course along with six miscellaneous candidates, making it a total of 120 candidates.
“Two male S&C coaches and 1 female coach per BCCI affiliated units will attend the program for a ‘Year-Round Mentoring via the NCA Central Team’. 114 candidates will be taught by six professionals and its starts in July with a 2-day Hybrid Programme,” a BCCI source informed.

It is understood that during the on-site program, 20 state S&C coaches will be mentored by one NCA central team S&C coach. Thus 120 candidates will have six such coaches.
“The plan is to have a year-round mentorship so that we have a robust group of S&C coaches in both men and women’s set-up,” the source said.
The Yo-Yo test is a variation of the beep test, a running aerobic fitness test that involves running between two sets of cones that are 20 meters apart (incidentally the length of a cricket pitch). Interestingly, several cricketers including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami, Sanju Samson, and recently Varun Chakravarthy have failed to clear the Yo-Yo test.