While the much-talked-about Yo-Yo endurance test has become important criteria for getting selected in the Indian team, the junior team seems to be not so interested in making the test a mandatory one for the selection.
According to the reports, the senior team-management wanted to extend the test to the U-19 team too who will leave for the Asia Youth Cup next week in Malaysia. However, the Indian Express has reported that the junior team’s management, as well as head coach Rahul Dravid, have expressed their reservations about it and as a result, the test has not been made mandatory for the U-19 players.
“The Indian team trainer had thrown the idea of having Yo-Yo test for India under-19 team, but Dravid made it clear that it should not be needed for junior cricket. At this age, players should improve their skills. Fitness is important, but if he can score runs and take wickets, that should be the parameter of selecting a player,” a source at the National Cricket Academy told The Indian Express.
The test has grabbed the headlines in recent times, as several top players have not been considered for selection after failing to clear it. The endurance test measures a player’s ability to perform repeated interval runs over an extended period.
Recently, some media reports suggested that Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh failed to make it to the Indian team after failing the test at the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru.
Earlier, Rahul Johri, BCCI CEO, had made it clear that Yo-Yo test has become mandatory for any player’s selection in the national team.
“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,” Johri had told the news outlet.
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