The Haryana all-rounder Rahul Tewatia failed the fitness tests before the T20I series with five games against England, as the Telegraph reports. Not just Tewatia, but spinner Varun Chakravarthy has also been reported to fail the mandatory fitness tests.
Rahul Tewatia had made his first appearance in India after his excellent performances for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2020 and for Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. Tewatia stepped into the spotlight when he hit 6 sixes in 8 balls in his 53 * against Punjab Kings in an IPL 2020 match in Sharjah, leading Royals to an unexpected win.
Rahul Tewatia (Image credit: Twitter)
The all-rounder delivered both the racket and the ball for the Rajasthan Royals and earned his first appearance in the national team for the upcoming T20I series against England. He got 255 runs with an average of 42.50 while his hit rate was 140. He also chose 10 wickets with his leg spinners with an impressive economy of 7.08.
Rahul Tewatia and Varun Chakravarthy were well below the fitness benchmark: reports
According to the Telegraph reports, Rahul Tewatia, along with Varun Chakravarthy, scored well below the fitness benchmark expected by the players on the national team. A player must either score 17: 1 on the yo-yo test or cover 2 km in 8.3 minutes.
Varun Chakravarthy. Photo credit – BCCI / IPL
The BCCI has made it important that one of the parameters is deleted so that players can be eligible to play for India. This is due to an increased focus on fitness as India expects a jam-packed calendar from 2021 onwards.
Although Tewatia and Chakravarthy failed the fitness tests on the first try, they get another chance to prove their fitness. A source clarified that it is not a problem if a player does not meet the parameter on the first try.
“It was introduced to improve fitness standards and maintain endurance. He’ll get more than one chance. “ a source told The Telegraph.
Rahul Tewatia. Image Twitter.
The BCCI selection committee will have a final call for their inclusions on the Indian team after the National Cricket Academy (NCA) updates them on the latest developments. The five-game T20I series against England starts on March 12th. All games will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad.