Auckland: Ahead of the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, Indian cricketer Shubman Gill recently caught everyone’s attention during a training session in Auckland. Rather than his usual batting drills, it was a small gadget positioned on his forehead that became the talking point. Gill was seen wearing a fitness tracking device known as “Temple,” a piece of wearable technology designed not just for conventional fitness metrics but for monitoring brain-related signals.
While the Indian captain has not officially commented on why he was wearing the device, its presence on elite Indian athletes has sparked widespread curiosity about the role of emerging technology in modern sports.
Developed by a team associated with Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal, the ‘Temple’ device is worn near the temples on the side of the forehead. Unlike traditional smartwatches and fitness bands that primarily track heart rate, physical movement, and sleep patterns, Temple focuses on cerebral blood flow and other physiological signals connected to cognitive function.
The cutting-edge gadget utilises a technology called ‘Brainflow’. Through optical sensors, it tracks changes in cerebral blood flow to monitor oxygen levels and cognitive load. The device generates an ‘Entropy Score’ that reflects the body’s physical stress levels—a metric that can be influenced by factors such as sleep, rigorous exercise, and mental strain. The developers have clarified that the wearable is strictly intended for wellness and research purposes, rather than for medical diagnosis.
Interestingly, Shubman Gill is not the first Indian sports star to experiment with this technology. Earlier this year in April, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was seen wearing the same gadget during the Thomas and Uber Cup, and later at the BWF World Championships. Reports suggest that the badminton champion has been testing the wearable as developers continue to explore its full potential.
For top-tier athletes, tracking recovery and cognitive load is becoming just as crucial as physical training. A device capable of monitoring brain signals can offer invaluable insights into cognitive stress and mental fatigue. However, it remains to be seen exactly how these athletes are interpreting this data and integrating it into their daily training regimens to enhance their overall performance on the field.