Ambati Rayudu Fails To Clear Yo Yo Test, Likely To Miss England ODI Series

Ambati Rayudu’s hopes of making a dream comeback to the Indian team has taken a big blow after he failed the mandatory yo yo test. The right-handed is now likely to lose his place in the team for the three-match ODI series in England next month. He was among several Indian players, including captain Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, who appeared for the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Rayudu earned the call from the national selectors after his dazzling displays in the just-concluded Indian Premier League. He played an integral role in Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning run in the IPL this year.  Among the top-five run-scorers, this season was the best IPL Rayudu had, scoring 602 runs at a strike rate of 149.75 including one century.

The form earned his deserved call for the series which gets underway on July 12 in Nottingham.

However, the failure to maintain the required level of fitness has jeopardised his return to the national team. Rayudu’s last ODI appearance had come in 2016 during the tour of Zimbabwe. So far, he has played 34 ODIs and 6 T20Is.

The BCCI has made it mandatory for the players to clear the yo yo test. Players need to attain the 16:1 mark, the minimum level set for them by the team’s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu. The selectors are set to name a replacement soon.

Meanwhile, Rayudu is not the first big name to fail this fitness test in recent times.  Last week, the BCCI revealed that Sanju Samson and Mohammed Shami had failed the tests too and consequently lost their spots. Shami missed out on being part of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. On the other hand, Samson lost his spot in the India A squad to tour England in June-July.