Punjab Make Yo-Yo Test Compulsory For Selection

Punjab Cricket Association has imposed the yo-yo test on the players and has made it compulsory for the players to be selected in the stateside for the T20 tournament. In fact, the players in the probable list also appeared for the test, a report in TOI suggests.

“We can’t have players who can just bat and bowl. They have to be fit enough to play.  At times, during this Ranji season, the intensity was very low. So, I thought enough is enough. Drop in energy levels leads to drop in performance and that leads to poor results. You just can’t have up and down results in alternate matches.  It is clear that Punjab cricket is growing at the U-19 level, but it is not getting converted at the Ranji Trophy level. We found out that fitness was a major issue. When we suggested this (implementing the Yo-Yo test) to the Punjab Cricket Association, they were very excited about it and urged us to enact it immediately,” Harbhajan Singh, captain of Punjab told TOI.

With this, PCA has become the first association to make the test compulsory for selection in the team. Though Bengal had also thought of the same strategy, they have planned to implement it from the next season.

It is to be noted that clearing the yo-yo test has become the first and foremost parameter to be selected in the national side. In fact, the batting and bowling abilities of a player come after the fitness.

It saw players like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina being dropped from the side. Yuvraj was a member of the side until July last year, but a failure in clearing the test saw him being dropped for the series against Sri Lanka and he is yet to make a comeback.

Talking of Raina, he was one of the standby players for the ICC Champions Trophy and was expected to return for Sri Lanka series later, but he was not included after he failed to clear the yo-yo test.

Both the players have now cleared the test and can make a comeback to the national side if they perform in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018.

Not just Punjab and Bengal, other states are too expected take a leaf out of team India and soon implement the yo-yo test. Delhi team too had put extra attention on fitness before the start of the season and is expected to make the yo-yo test compulsory soon.

Punjab Cricket Association is yet to name the squad and Yuvraj is expected to be appointed as vice-captain.

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