Irfan Pathan Names Three Indian Players From Past Decade Who Would Have Topped Yo-Yo Test

Former Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan in a recent interview named three Indian players who would have finished as top three in Yo-Yo test, from the previous decade.

While nowadays fitness of cricketers is taken much more seriously, fans would find it hard to believe that things were very different in the past. Players who were not fit as a fiddle were also given chances to play for the national team as long as they continued to perform.

In the past, there were no stringent rules regarding the fitness of players, however, in contemporary cricket, measures such as the Y0-Yo Test are taken to ensure every player is at his peak condition.

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Irfan Pathan picks three Indian players from past decade who would finish in top three of Y0-Yo test:

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the 35-year-old named Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Kaif and himself in the category of fitness freaks of the past decade. Pathan ranked Sachin in the first place, saying he was the biggest fitness freak during his playing days.

'Kohli doesn't have the calmness of Tendulkar, and Sachin has ___________': @IrfanPathan | #Yorked

Full interview by @vaib_1205: pic.twitter.com/hc6zZCQ6Ju

— Firstpost (@firstpost) March 12, 2020

The veteran put Kaif in second place, as he was a lightning-quick runner between the wickets. The latter was also a sharp and decisive field, which is why Kaif is often heralded as one of the most acrobatic and reliable fielders of the past decade.

In third place, Pathan named himself and completed the list of player who would have finished in the top three of Yo-Yo Test.

What exactly is a Yo-Yo test?

For the unversed, a Yo-Yo test is a parameter to determine the overall fitness levels of an athlete. Like any exam, there is a standard criterion, which a player needs to pass in order to be declared ‘fit’. Only then, are these players allowed to be part of Team India.

Moreover, the players who fail in the Yo-Yo test are required to take the test again until and unless they match the required standards.

Former Indian skipper Anil Kumble had introduced this Test during his tenure as coach of the national team. While the current threshold to pass the Yo-Yo test is set at 16.1 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Virat Kohli, who is considered as a big fitness freak managed to score 19 in the fitness test.

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