Saturday 19th Apr, 2025
Gautam Gambhir added that it will be tough for Yuvraj Singh to find a place in the team going forward given the lofty fitness standards set by the team. The critical fitness test which Yuvraj failed is called as the Yo-Yo test.
Yuvraj Singh’s absence from the India squad named for the Sri Lanka limited overs series created quite a flutter and raised many eyebrows. There were reports doing the rounds following the decision that the reason for him not being included for the five match ODI series and a one-off T20I was the poor fitness level displayed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
The official reason stated for Yuvraj’s absence was given as ‘rest’ but Gautam Gambhir believes that wasn’t the right word used for the case. “I don’t think ‘rest’ is the right word because he (Yuvraj) hasn’t played any cricket for quite a while and he would be wanting to play. If you want to see him at the World Cup, he should be given the maximum opportunity. Because, someone like Yuvraj, you want him in that flow, you want him in that rhythm. You can’t have someone like him playing in one series and resting thereafter,” Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
Gambhir added that it will be tough for Yuvraj to find a place in the team going forward given the lofty fitness standards set by the team. “So, I feel that it’s difficult now for Yuvraj to make a comeback. Hopefully, he does because he is one of the greats of the game,” Gambhir added.
Meanwhile, chief selector had earlier said Yuvraj had been rested but door was not shut on him in hopes of finding a spot in the 2019 World Cup squad. “Yuvraj has been rested,” said MSK Prasad, adding that “doors are never closed on anybody”.
The critical fitness test which Yuvraj failed is called as the Yo-Yo test or an advanced version of the beep test from the past. “The current team think tank, coach Ravi Shastri, skipper Virat Kohli and chairman of selectors MSK Prasad have made it clear that fitness standards are non-negotiable,” said a BCCI official.
“On an average, the Australian cricketers score 21 in Yo-Yo test. Here Virat (Kohli), Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey regularly hit that score while others are either touching 19.5 or is hitting above that score,” the official added.