Kapil Dev reckons that the yo-yo test shouldn't be the sole criteria for fitness

The yo-yo test has turned out to be a massive conundrum in the Indian cricketing fraternity over the past few weeks. The selection criterion of 16.1 out of 25 has been set as compulsory by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in order to ensure selection in the national team. However, a number of the players haven’t been able to breach the qualification barrier.

Subsequently, they were sidelined and replacements were roped in on an immediate basis. The test has been greeted with mixed reactions and many have also raised questions over it being an appropriate method to put forward a team. Meanwhile, Kapil Dev, the former Indian cricketer believes that the yo-yo test shouldn’t be the only measure for judging a player’s eligibility.

“This isn’t the ultimate test”- Kapil Dev

“If a player is match fit, he should be playing and there should not be any other criteria. Even football legend Diego Maradona wasn’t the fastest runner but whenever he had the ball, he was the fastest. Similarly, every cricketer has a different way of responding to fitness drill.

A bowler can perhaps clear the Yo-Yo test easily than a batsman. But this isn’t the ultimate test to judge a player. It comes down to your performances on the field and cricketers should be judged only on the basis of their on-field performances,” the all-rounder was quoted as saying by The Times of India (TOI).

Kapil Dev, himself, was an epitome of fitness. The 59-year old never came close to missing a match because of fitness. The Haryana Hurricane, popularly called by his fans, also put forward some examples from the game of cricket like Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly and others who haven’t been tremendous athletes, but turned out to be rated amongst the greats of the game.

“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. Even the likes of Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly may or may not have cleared this version of the Yo-Yo test but they turned out to be some of the best players India has produced,” he added.

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