BCCI makes Yo-Yo test compulsory for players before Afghanistan Test

Indian players would be seen playing in national colors again after ten days of break following the end of Indian Premier League as they take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test match, scheduled for June 14. And BCCI sources have confirmed that the players would need to take the fitness gauging Yo-Yo Test again before they head into the historic game.

“The players will have to undergo a mandatory yo-yo test. Though the team has been already been picked for the lone test against Afghanistan, it's a procedure which each player has to follow. The players who will be traveling to England too will have to undergo a yo-yo test in the coming week,” BCCI sources informed.

The Test match will be followed by a two-and-a-half-month-long British Isles tour where India are scheduled to play two T20’s against Ireland. India A squad will also have to take the Yo-yo test in the early June, which has the likes of Kumar Nair, Ravikumar Samarth, Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill that would be facing the England Lions and West Indies A for a one-day tri-series from June 22.

The management has made it clear that irrespective of the player's form, a certain compulsory level of aerobic endurance should be maintained by the players. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has declared these fitness parameters to be firm and crucial for the selection. The Yo-yo test would be including a subsequently increased pacing between a 40m circuit that would determine not only the fitness level, but also the stamina of a player.

"The captain, the coach, and chief selectors, 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,” CEO Rahul Johri said.