6 Indian players who have failed the Fitness Test
The standard of cricket has grown leaps and bounds in recent years and one of the key factors for the same has been the stress on players' fitness. Cricket has seen many players not at their best in terms of fitness, and it has also raised a valid argument against the tests done to evaluate a player and his potential contribution. With a lot of cricket being played now, it is vital to look after players, especially the ones who play all three formats of the game. Teams have now begun to rotate players and manage their workload to ensure they have a large pool of players who are fit enough to adapt to the challenges thrown at them.
Earlier, it was reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had made it mandatory for Indian cricketers to pass the yo-yo test to prove if they were to play any form of cricket for the nation.
We take a look at the players who have failed to pass the fitness test and hence find themselves in troubled waters.
1. Mohammed Shami
The Indian pacer from Bengal was ruled out of the Afghanistan Test in June 2018, after he failed to prove his fitness at the NCA in Bangalore. Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini was named as his replacement. Saini was also part of India's Test squad during their tour to South Africa and has been around the circuit for a while.
Shami had a tough time in the Indian Premier League with Delhi Daredevils that year, taking only three wickets from four games going at an economy of over 10. Shami's fitness issues opened the door for the impressive fast bowler from Delhi who took 34 wickets in eight games during the Ranji Trophy 2017-18.
2. Sanju Samson
Hours before Shami was ruled out of the game against Afghanistan, Sanju Samson was ruled out of India A's tour to England as he failed to clear the yo-yo fitness test too. The 23-year-old fell way below the prescribed mark of 16.1 which led to his ouster from the squad for the tour.
Samson was coming off a decent time in IPL 2018 with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 441 runs in 15 games, including a belligerent unbeaten knock of 91 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Though his form went down towards the end, he would be disappointed at having missed a chance to impress the national selectors.
3. Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar was in the news for the wrong reasons when he failed to clear the yo-yo test after a domestic match for his state team back in 2017 at the NCA in Bangalore. Sundar had hit his maiden first-class ton against Tripura, after which he attempted to take the fitness test but came out of it on the wrong side.
Sundar had already represented India in the limited-overs format and was a star performer in the Nidahas Trophy, bowling inside the first six overs and leading India's inexperienced bowling attack well. He also represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had made the fitness test compulsory ahead of IPL 2018.
4. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was dropped from the national side in 2017 after he failed to clear the yo-yo test ahead of the ODIs against Sri Lanka. The star performer for Chennai Super Kings over the years then took proved that he still has a lot of cricket in him by working hard and ahead of the tour to South Africa, he successfully cleared the yo-yo test.
Raina was a part of the T20I squad for India's tour to South Africa and played important knocks for Chennai Super Kings 2018. His contributions played an important role in helping the team win the title that year.
5. Yuvraj Singh
Life has changed a lot for the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup. Yuvraj Singh, one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball, fought off cancer to showcase his strong temperament and desire to lead by example. However, he failed to get his cricket career back and he was dropped from India's squad for the series against Sri Lanka after his failure to pass the yo-yo test.
Being one of the key reasons to inspire a generation of Indians to play cricket, Yuvraj Singh eventually managed to clear the test ahead of India's tour to South Africa. However, he would not play for the country again.
6. Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu, who was the talk of the town after his superb run of form in IPL 2018 for Chennai Super Kings, earned a well-deserved return to the ODI side for India for their tour to England.
He had amassed 602 runs at a strike rate of 149.75 and it looked like his career got a second life. But the in-form batsman failed to clear the mandatory fitness ahead of the three-match ODI series against England and is now set to be dropped.
It was being reported that Rayudu fell short of the 16:1 mark which is to be achieved by some distance.