Want to play for the country? Pass the Yo-Yo test: BCCI

Indian cricketers will now have to pass the mandatory Yo-Yo fitness test in order to represent the country. The Indian team management has made fitness a very important yardstick and the impact is there to be seen everytime the Men in Blue take field. The interesting thing here is even if a player is in-form and injury free, still the fitness test will play a key role in selection.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is one of the fittest cricketers in the world right now and he along with head coach Ravi Shastri has always stressed on the fitness part. Some of the big names in the Indian side have failed to pass the endurance tests and that resulted in their exclusion from the team.

Parameters set

“The captain, coach and chief selector, along with the other members of the selection committee in consultation with the support staff (trainer and physio), have set the parameters. The fitness parameters set by the team management for athletes to be eligible for selection are non-negotiable,” BCCI, CEO Rahul Johri told The Indian Express.

“On the yo-yo scale, the grade needed to be achieved is 16.1, which is the minimum standard set for an elite international sportsman. The players have been informed of such parameters and most current players have already achieved this standard. In case of any exceptions, we’ve given them sufficient time to raise their fitness levels,” he added.

A former key member of the Indian coaching staff said the team management should keep in mind that aerobic endurance can’t be the sole criterion for selection. “The yo-yo test can’t be the only criterion to test a cricketer’s fitness. It’s a skill-based sport. There’s so much mental stamina that’s required too,” he said. He also added that many former greats would have failed the fitness test had it been put to practice in the past.