MS Dhoni personally monitored Jharkhand state players’ fitness levels
Even at the age of 37 years, Dhoni is one of the fittest members of the Indian team.
Nowadays, Indian cricket has seen fitness as important as making runs and taking wickets. Senior players in the team like captain Virat Kohli and wicket-keeper-batsman MS Dhoni are known for their high fitness standards and they also encourage other players to raise the bar to extend their longevity in the national team. Of late, Team India stresses a lot on the yo-yo test, and player(s) failing to meet the expectations find it difficult to make the cut even if they are in good touch with the bat and ball.
Following the example set by the national team, a lot of state cricket bodies have also taken to making the yo-yo test compulsory for the selection process. Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) is also one among them and if reports are to be believed, none other than the state’s biggest cricketing star Dhoni personally monitored the local players’ fitness and gave those, who were found below-mark to improve their conditions, 15 days’ time to improve.
“He (Dhoni) personally monitored the players’ yo-yo tests. Mahi took the register book and monitored the whole process for close to four-and-a-half hours. Those who weren’t up to the mark, he gave them 15 days to get better, fitness-wise,” JSCA secretary Debashis Chakraborty was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Dhoni’s agility behind the stumps and also while batting at the age of 37 shows the man’s fitness level and top players’ taking interest in the fitness level of cricketers in domestic cricket certainly sends a positive signal towards growing a robust fitness culture at the foundation.
BCCI dropped players in recent years because of yo-yo test failure
In the recent years, the Board of Control for Cricket in India dropped a few players after they failed the yo-yo test and the names included those of Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and Mohammed Shami. Rayudu and Shami succeeded later in making it to the team. Recently, a few Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises also sought their players to pass the yo-yo test to get the nod for playing.
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