Last Updated: January 03, 2023, 14:50 IST
Team India batter Virat Kohli (AP Image)
Virat Kohli revealed that he was the first to take the Yo-Yo test in the Indian team
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reviewed Team India’s performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup on January 1. BCCI’s top brass met with captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid in Mumbai to identify the weaknesses in the team and to chart the future course of action. Among all the topics of discussion at the BCCI meeting, the Yo-Yo test has grabbed the headlines.
BCCI has once again included the Yo-Yo tests as a selection parameter. The much-talked-about Yo-Yo test was first introduced in Indian cricket under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. The former India captain set very high standards of fitness when he was at the helm and made the test mandatory for selection. Fans are now tweeting that BCCI has eventually returned to the Yo-Yo tests, which were once derided as contentious. In fact, an old video of Kohli explaining the importance of the Yo-Yo test to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone viral on the microblogging site.
During their light-hearted conversation, Kohli had explained the importance of Yo-Yo tests for Indian athletes and the pivotal role it plays when it comes to fitness levels. “This test was very important from a fitness point of view. If we talk about global fitness level, our fitness level is still low compared to other teams and we want to take it up, which is a basic requirement,” Kohli had told PM Modi.
Kohli had further revealed that he was the first to take the test in the Indian team.
Kohli had said, “I am the one who goes out to run first and this is the condition that if I fail that I am also not available for selection. It is important to set that culture and it will lead to improvement in overall fitness levels.”
Many fans commented on his tweet and praised Kohli’s foresight. One Kohli fan tweeted, “India might have had great players before, but damn this guy is just pure visionary. Unbelievable ethics and knowledge. Wish we had someone like him in Pakistan, one of the many reasons to be a hard core Kohli fan.”
India might’ve had great players before but damn this guy is just pure visionary. Unbelievable ethic n knowledge. Wish we had someone like him in Pakistan. One of the many reasons to be a hardcore Kohli fan— JwaadR (@jwaad_r) January 1, 2023
The Yo-Yo test is an aerobic endurance fitness test that involves running between markers placed 20 metres apart at increasing speeds. In addition to the Yo-Yo test, BCCI has introduced Dexa scans to examine the fitness of players. These strict fitness parameters have been adopted by the BCCI after Team India’s poor results in Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup last year.
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