YoYo Fitness Test: Here’s why everyone is talking about it

The reason why everybody is talking about the YoYo intermittent fitness test is because several Indian cricketers CSK batsman Ambati Rayudu, Mohammad Shami (Yuvraj Singh in the past) were dropped from the team because they failed to clear the important endurance test called the “Yo-Yo” test.

Former cricketer Kapil Dev is against the Yo-Yo test as he feels several great Indian cricketers may not have cleared the test. Here are some of the examples he gave:

• Sunil Gavaskar may not have enjoyed running more than 15 minutes as a part of his fitness drill but he could bat for three days.
• Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly may or may not have cleared the Yo-Yo test but they turned out to be some of the best players India has produced.
• Football legend Diego Maradona “wasn’t the fastest runner but whenever he had the ball, he was the fastest.”

Indian cricket head coach Ravi Shastri however believes in the fitness test, and insists that those who do not clear the test will lose opportunities.

The aim of the ‘Yo-Yo’ intermittent recovery test is to run as many times back and forth between the markers, at speeds indicated by the markers on the tape. After each run, back and forth, you get 10 seconds to jog (catch your breath) before you begin the next run.

A player begins running when instructed, continues running between the two lines, turning when signalled by the recorded beeps. After every minute or so, the pace gets quicker. The test is stopped if the player fails to catch up with the pace within the two ends.

Sportsmen in other countries (and cricketers in England and Australia) have been undergoing this fitness test, and now even our cricketers are made to go through it.

On an average, Australian cricketers score 21 in Yo-Yo test. Among Indian cricketers, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey regularly match that score, while others are around 19.5.

Talking about the earlier era, Indian players of the 1990s would have scored around 16 to 16.5, barring a few like Mohammed Azharuddin, Robin Singh or Ajay Jadeja,” revealed a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official.

Indian cricket coach and selectors have made it clear that fitness standards are non-negotiable, and players will have to match those standards be play for the Indian cricket team.