Mohammad Azharuddin comes out in support of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina
What's the story?
Former Indian cricket team captain Mohammad Azharuddin has lent his support to discarded Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.
Speaking to Sport360, Azhar opened up about their failure in the "yo-yo" fitness test and their future with the Indian side.
“I really don’t know what the Yo-Yo Test is, but as far as fitness is concerned, everyone has to be fit. If you are not fit, you don’t play. But I feel there are players (who are) almost in the twilight of their careers but still very, very good. Maybe fitness for them can be relaxed a little,” claimed Mohammad Azharuddin according to Sports360.
“Like for a player like Yuvraj, he has gone through so much because of his illness (cancer). I don’t think he would have passed the ‘Yo-Yo’ test. There are other players as well. I am a very big fan of Suresh Raina. I feel he should come back. I saw him one and a half months back and he has become very fit. But if the team has taken a decision, you need to back it,” concluded Azhar.
In case you didn't know...
The ‘Yo-Yo’ test gauges the player’s ability to run for extended periods of time to check their endurance.
The test has become one of the main parameters for selection into the national side. Unfortunately, both Yuvraj and Raina have failed the test on multiple occasions.
The details:
Raina's form in the Ranji Trophy has been abysmal. With scores of 6, 29, 0, 5, 10, 16, 6, he has looked completely out of sorts.
Meanwhile, Yuvraj played only one game for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy and failed to make a mark with scores of 20 and 42 against Vidarbha.
He is currently working on his fitness and looking to make a comeback in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka.
What's next?
India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series which begins on November 16.
Author's take:
Azharuddin might be right in his assessment of the yo-yo test and the fact that fitness could be a bit relaxed for the senior players.
However, both Yuvraj and Raina are out of form and have not impressed the selectors with their performances on the field.
Only once they do so, they should be considered for selection.