It is important for yo-yo test to be done in public domain: Sunil Gavaskar

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in August, reportedly issued a verbal warning for India cricketers to not share the Yo-Yo test score publicly, citing it as ‘confidential information.’ The Apex body’s act came after star India batter Virat Kohli posted his Yo-Yo test score in his official social media account.

However, legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disagreement with BCCI’s stance, claimed that disclosing the yo-yo test score will merely tell the public whether any player who failed to meet the necessary fitness has been picked.

“If it is true that unless the minimum standard of the Yo-Yo test is not met, then the player is not eligible for selection then it’s all the more important for this test to be done in the public domain so that the public that follows the game in their millions know that there are no players who have not met the minimum standard in the team," Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Mid-Day.

The 74-year-old further refuted the notion that just because Shubman Gill had a higher yo-yo test score than Kohli does not imply the latter is less fit than the youngster. He went on to say that the age difference between two should not go unnoticed and that the veteran should be appreciated for his level of fitness.  

“There was a lot of excitement when Kohli put out his Yo-Yo score which was more than the limit that the BCCI trainers had set. Shubman Gill posting an even better Yo-Yo score than Virat was by no means one-upmanship. The age difference between the two mustn’t be forgotten and the elder has to be admired for his fitness standard. The BCCI then directed that nobody should post their Yo-Yo test scores which might have actually saved some blushes for some," he added.

For the unversed, the BCCI reintroduced the yo-yo fitness test and Dexa (bone scan test) among the eligibility criteria for selection in the Indian cricket team earlier in January.