In order to match India skipper Virat Kohli’s determined training routine, the Indian players are now going through DNA test that reveals the hereditary fitness blueprint of a player, raising the bar to a level formerly unseen. The test will help the Indian cricketers to improve their speed, in fat burning, endurance, recovery time, and muscle building.

It has been learned that team trainer Shankar Basu has recommended this test in order to gain more comprehensive fitness regime for the national team can be chalked out.

The DNA test, or, genetic fitness test, gives an idea of how 40 plus genes are related to a person’s fitness, health, and nutrition. Each player’s DNA data is then consolidated with the environmental data which is the individual’s body weight and diet, for an all-around analysis.

Talking about the test, a senior BCCI official said, “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 further added, “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.”

Earlier, the Indian cricket team used to undergo Skinfold Test for body fat measure percentage and then switched to DEXA test. Describing the same, the official said, “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.”

As of now, the admissible body fat percentage limit for a senior national team player is 23 percent, which is regular for most of the international cricket teams, including Pakistan and New Zealand.

It has also been learned that some of the cricketers did not know why, after rigorous amount of training, they were not able to bring down their fat percentage to a certain level. Explaining the same, the BCCI official said, “Some of them have been having a 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.”

He further elaborated, “When this test started, some players understood that they are lactose intolerant or some who have fetish for mutton biryani know what their body needs after eating a particular kind of food.”

One of the cricketers whose strength and stamina has remarkably improved has been pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been playing the limited overs cricket on a consistent basis. Since the start of Champions Trophy, he has played 19 ODIs and and 7 T20Is, merely because of a new fitness routine that was prepared after getting his genetic fitness report.

The DNA test is assumed to test the body’s strengths and what kind of diet and exercise are most effective for a particular cricketer. What trainer Basu does is to prepare a detailed workout and nutrition guide for each player that is chalked down to their respective physical needs.