Reports: Virat Kohli to undergo yo-yo test ahead of West Indies series

Captain of the Indian Cricket Team Virat Kohli, who was rested for the Asia Cup, could have to take the yo-yo test to prove his fitness ahead of the West Indies series. India will host West Indies in a 2-match Test series, which will be followed by 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is. The first Test gets underway on October 4 in Rajkot.

According to a Navbharat Times report, Kohli will have to take the test on Friday, September 28, after which the selectors are likely to name the squad for the Test series. The BCCI has made the yo-yo test mandatory, and all players have to pass it before they are considered for selection. There have been instances when players have missed out on a series because they failed to clear the fitness parameters.

Head coach Ravi Shastri has also insisted that there can be no leniency as far as fitness standards in the Indian team are concerned. Kohli has had fitness issues of late, and they were aggravated during the Test series against England. His back indicated signs of being overworked which forced him out of the field, but he was still able to bat.

“Yesterday and today, it wasn’t great. The back can be very tricky when it goes off. It happened in the latter half or the last leg of the South Africa tour when I missed a T20 game. That was very sudden, it happened a day before (the game),” Kohli was quoted as saying in the post-match conference at the end of the second Test against England. India were humiliated at Lord’s, suffering a massive innings defeat.

Who else will undergo a yo-yo test?

According to the standards set by the Indian team management, an Indian player has to achieve a score of 16.1 in the yo-yo test in order to be considered fit for selection. Apart from Kohli, the selectors will also take a close look at R Ashwin’s and Ishant Sharma’s fitness. Both players are scheduled to go through a fitness test on September 29.

Ishant, in particular, was in the playing XI for all five Test matches against England, while Ashwin had to miss out on the final Test due to a strain. Reports have also suggested that selectors might consider giving Ashwin more rest ahead of the important Test series against Australia which gets underway in late-November.

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