Technological intervention in top-tier sports has expanded far beyond boundary reviews and officiating aids. While international cricket has long relied on technologies such as Hawk-Eye, the Snickometer, and third-umpire protocols to resolve on-field decisions across the 22-yard strip, cutting-edge biometric hardware is now transforming how players train away from match day. Modern athletes increasingly turn to wearable diagnostics to track physiological strain and cognitive readiness. Demonstrating this trend, Indian skipper Shubman Gill was recently seen sporting a specialised biometric device on his forehead during net practice while preparing for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.
Following PV Sindhu from the Badminton Court to Cricket Nets
The device, known as Temple, was initially introduced into elite Indian training environments by Olympic badminton medallist PV Sindhu. Its presence on the cricket ground marks a notable cross-sport adoption, with Gill testing the compact hardware during rigorous pre-series batting drills. Invented by Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, the innovative headpiece has rapidly gained attention across athletic circles. With Gill adopting it during high-intensity practice, several other elite cricketers are expected to incorporate similar neural-monitoring tools into their training routines in the near future.
How Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Measures Elite Peak Flow
The small-form-factor Temple monitor is mounted directly against the user's temple area to continuously track blood movement and oxygen levels within the brain in real time. It operates by deploying near-infrared spectroscopy to gauge cerebral oxygenation, which serves as an effective proxy for localized blood circulation. Goyal has noted that the device communicates brain activity via an active score ranging from 1 to 250, where a rating of 1 represents deep psychological relaxation, while a maximum mark of 250 reflects the peak mental flow state of an elite competitor under stress.
At present, the unit remains in an experimental testing stage and has not secured medical certification or entered broad commercial retail channels. The anticipated price tag in India is projected to be between ₹72,000 and ₹80,000, with public shipments expected to commence before the conclusion of 2026.
Expanding Beyond Existing GPS Vests and Workload Trackers
Biometric monitoring is already deeply entrenched in Indian cricket setups. Viewers routinely notice a distinct, small hump beneath players' shirts across their upper backs during both training sessions and competitive matches. That bulge houses an advanced GPS performance tracking unit, carried securely in a fitted pouch built into specialised compression sports vests worn underneath standard team jerseys.
Coaching and conditioning personnel rely heavily on that telemetry to track sprinting metrics, distance covered, acceleration rates, and total physical exertion. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formalised these diagnostics by partnering with specialized sports tech providers such as STATSports and Catapult, making the wearing of these GPS units compulsory across the national squad. Given the grueling, congested schedules spanning Test matches, One-Day Internationals, T20Is, and the Indian Premier League (IPL), automated workload management remains non-negotiable to safeguard player durability. The introduction of neural monitors like Temple adds cognitive tracking to that existing suite of physical telemetry.
