The implementation of the Dexa Test was one of the important suggestions given by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the selection of players moving ahead during its review meeting of the senior Indian men's team on Sunday.
During the meeting, which was attended by head coach Rahul Dravid, regular all-format captain Rohit Sharma, BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah, NCA head V.V.S. Laxman, and selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma, the issues of player availability, workload management, and fitness parameters were also extensively discussed.
Given recent events, including the absence of numerous important players from the T20 World Cup, including Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as skipper Rohit Sharma's absence from Test matches due to injury, the Indian national team has been concerned about the condition of its players.
The care of injuries was a priority because numerous important Indian cricketers missed a lot of games in 2022 due to injuries. When he conveyed his anger at players constantly pulling up with injuries despite being deemed fit, captain Rohit Sharma brought it up following Bangladesh's ODI series defeat.
The BCCI has reinstated the former Yo-Yo Test and has established the Dexa Test for the selection of players moving forward while keeping these criteria in mind.
The statement from the board stated that "The Yo-Yo Test and Dexa will now be included in selection criteria and applied in the tailored roadmaps of the central pool of athletes."
Therefore, the fans are not in the wrong for wondering what the Dexa Test is.
The advent of the Dexa Test is another "scientific layer" to test before evaluating whether the players are fit to participate in addition to the Yo-Yo test, which is well-known in the Indian cricket environment.
Dexa is essentially a scientific approach that uses spectrum imaging to ascertain a player's bone mineral density. To determine the bone density and mineral content, two X-Ray beams of varying energies are focused on the player's bone.
It is a test that is widely acknowledged on a global scale. A 10-minute test analyses a player's muscle mass, bone mass, and total body fat in addition to measuring it.
In what ways Dexa will be crucial to assess a player's fitness?
An injury-prone athlete was frequently hurried into the playing team in Indian cricket last year, only to re-injure himself after only a few matches. Prime instances of this include Deepak Chahar, who was sidelined for a significant portion of 2022, and Jasprit Bumrah, who is rehabilitating from a stress fracture in his spine.
When a player is hurt, their bone density and strength typically suffer. When athletes train frequently, they preserve their bone strength and mineral density, but when they are injured, they often compromise these qualities.
In order to prevent further injuries for wounded players who are returning to play, the Dexa test will be used to test these items.