People Laughed When We Made Yo-Yo Test A Criteria For Selection - Ravi Shastri
Updated - 05 Feb 2019, 06:06 PM
Well, it has been brilliant last few seasons for Indian National Cricket Team, especially, under the leadership of Virat Kohli. He also got the strong head coach in the form of Ravi Shastri, who always gave a go-ahead for his skipper. One of the path-breaking ideas has been the introduction of Yo-Yo Test for the selection of players to the Indian team.
It made a massive difference in the outlook of the Indian team. All the players, who passed the fitness looked absolutely electrifying in the middle and also delivering the goods to perfection. Meanwhile, speaking of the same, Ravi Shastri believes it made the major difference in the results.
Yo-Yo Test was the cornerstone:
When the interviewer of Cricbuzz quoted that Yo-Yo Test was one of the major cornerstones to the success, Ravi Shastri replied citing that it was not ”one of the” but it was the main difference between the sides. He feels that it brought the right kind of attitude to the team in order to deliver the goods.
”Not ‘one of the’, it was ‘the cornerstone’. The last year of Test cricket belongs to the bowlers. Pujara and Virat Kohli were outstanding as batsmen but the bowling took 136 wickets to go past Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding,” Ravi Shastri quoted in the interview.
”When we mentioned the Yo-Yo test a year ago, people laughed that it was criteria for selection. What they missed was that was a very important part of selection. You have to first clear that criterion and then of course you have batting, bowling and fielding skills to talk to be selected. But you have to pass that test as a benchmark,” he said.
Mohammad Shami delivered:
Further, he went on recollect by saying that the people have laughed at them for making yo-yo test as the criteria for selection. He cited Mohammad Shami as one of the biggest examples of the yo-yo test, who was removed from the team for failing the Test.
”We dropped Mohammed Shami for failing that test for the England ODIs. He got the kick up the backside he needed, went and trained, and rest is history. No one has performed better than him. If I have to single out one guy after the end of this overseas year, it is him (sic). Because to last and bowl with that intensity – 140 (kph) all the time, whichever format he has played – is a tribute to his fitness. It is an absolute tribute to his fitness, and to the Yo-Yo test,” he inferred.
Well, as Ravi Shastri said, the inclusion of yo-yo test has made a massive difference. They have yielded the fruitful results in return to the new criteria in the selection for the Indian National Cricket Team. Currently, India is one of the best sides, across the formats.
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Mohammad Shami Ravi Shastri Yo Yo Test
