Yo-Yo Test - Wise or Imprudent?

Recently, Mohammad Shami and Ambati Rayadu were dropped from the Indian squad after failing the Yo-Yo test. It is a test which checks the cricketer’s endurance and ability to pace himself. BCCI has set Yo-Yo test as a fitness criterion. Yo-Yo test is a variation of beep test. It is not a new thing for Australian, New Zealand and England cricket teams.

What is the Yo-Yo Test exactly?

The players have to cover 20 meters in a given time period and have to return to the start point. It has two sets of cones that are 20 meters apart. An athlete has to reach on the other side by the time the next beep sounds, then he has to turn and get back to where he started before the next beep. The frequency of the beeps moderately increases for the later.

A trip is a successful completion of a run to the cones at the other end and back. There is a gap of about seven seconds between each trip. The point at which an athlete misses two beeps is his final score. For ex - with point Y in the middle, X and Y are kept at a 5 meter distance and points Y and Z at 20 meters distance. Now, the players initially starts at Y, sprinting towards Z and back to Y to have a recovery walk to X. Walking back to Y, they will again start sprinting to Z. So mathematically, 40 meters run including a turn continued with a 10 meters recovery walk. And the process continues in the loop. India set 16.1 marks to clear the test and will be 16.5 in future. For New Zealand and England, it is 19 and above. For Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it is fixed at 17.4.

Raydu failed to reach the figure of 16.1 and that’s why he was dropped from the team. Was the decision right? According to me, it was not the best of decisions by BCCI. Rayadu is quick while running between the wickets. He is decent while fielding. Most importantly, he was in sublime form. He could have brought the X-factor during India’s tour of England. BCCI should be mindful about a player's current form and how much he can contribute to the team in his domain.

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