6 big Indian stars who failed the Yo-Yo Test ft. Suresh Raina
Since the introduction of the Bronco Test, India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma’s name has been trending a lot on social media. A few days back, former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary claimed that the BCCI introduced the Test only to sideline Rohit Sharma from the ODI team. Many others raised concerns over his fitness levels and questioned his ability to pass the Bronco test.
However, a recent report by RevSportz has confirmed that Rohit Sharma has passed the test with flying colours. For context, the Bronco Test was introduced after questions were raised over Indian players’ fitness levels following India’s five-match Test series in England. The Test is designed to assess players’ endurance levels. It involves them completing continuous shuttle runs of 20m, 40m, and 60m without taking a break in around six minutes. Reportedly, Rohit Sharma completed the test in just over five minutes.
While the BCCI keeps the scores confidential, some sources suggest that the World Cup-winning captain scored 19.4 in the Yo-Yo test. Notably, Rohit has undergone the fitness test for the first time since taking his retirement from Test cricket. It also means that he has been cleared to participate in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Australia. While Rohit Sharma, along with all the other players, has passed the recent fitness test, there have been some Indian players in the past who have failed the test. And, as a result of that, they lost their place in the team.
Let’s take a look at some big names in Indian cricket who have failed the fitness test in the past:
1. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in 2017
Yes, you heard it right! Two of India’s best fielders, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, once failed to pass the Yo-Yo test, and it resulted in their exclusion from the team. Back in 2017, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were excluded from India’s squad for the tour of Sri Lanka as they failed to pass the Yo-Yo test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Both Yuvraj and Raina scored well below the permissible level of 19.5.
2. Mohammed Shami in 2018
Ahead of the one-off Test match in Afghanistan in 2018, Indian players underwent the mandatory Yo-Yo fitness Test as a measure to showcase their endurance levels. All the players passed the test except Mohammed Shami. The Indian speedster failed to clear the fitness test, leading to his exclusion from the squad. Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini was added to the squad as his replacement.
3. Ambati Rayudu in 2018
Ambati Rayudu’s brilliant show in the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League earned him a recall in the Indian team for the ODI series vs England. However, little did he know that a fitness test would act as a roadblock in his comeback. He failed the Yo-Yo test, and it led to his ousting. Suresh Raina replaced him in the squad. Rayudu, though, did manage to make a comeback in the 2018 Asia Cup.
4. Sanju Samson in 2018
India A team were due to travel to England for a white-ball series in 2018, and Sanju Samson was initially named in both the T20I and ODI squads. However, it turned out that he didn’t take the flight to England. Samson failed to pass the Yo-Yo test, with his score falling well below the prescribed 16.1 mark.
5. Washington Sundar in 2017
Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar could have made his India debut in the T20I series vs Australia in 2017. However, he failed to pass the Yo-Yo test. Sundar, however, cleared the test later in the same season and went on to make his India debut in the white-ball series against Sri Lanka in December.
