Shubman Gill tops fitness test

Till now, Virat Kohli was considered to be the fittest player in the team. However, when the Indian cricket team players were put through various fitness and medical tests along with the mandatory Yo-Yo test, it was proved that young opener Shubman Gill has topped with an impressive score of 18.7. All the cricketers who have so far appeared for the Yo-Yo test have passed the cut-off level of 16.5 with Virat Kohli also putting up an impressive 17.2 as per his Instagram story.

According to Team India’s former trainer, Ramji Srinivasan, Virat now needs to train smarter than hard. “Working on his reflexes and hand and eye coordination would be the key to prolong his career and break through the ceiling. His commitment is unquestionable but he should not get carried away and do what’s pertinent to him rather than comparing himself to others. Motivation and competitiveness is one thing, but being mindful of his age and the format he is going to embark on is crucial for his longevity.”

“Personally and professionally I would do 2k or 5k time trials for batters and pacers. Each support staff have their own process and protocols, as long as it works its fine, but players getting injured repeatedly can be a matter of concern.

End of the day what matters is the players are fit and injury free for the whole year and spend less time on the physio or doctors table is a mark of good process. There would always be a change — which is a constant in the process and protocols followed by the previous regime.Yo-Yo or no, the end product is important in keeping the players ship-shape through a professional approach,” Ramji Srinivasan, who was the first one who served World Cup-winning Indian cricket team as Strength and Conditioning (S&C) coach added.

“Virat may not be the fittest in the team now, but it is not fair to compare the  fitness score of a youngster to an older player. There would always be a transition, be it fitness or skill over the years. In a few years time we can see the base fitness level for yo-yo in cricket would be 19+. Players are getting fitter,stronger and faster in all aspects, it’s not only in other sports but in cricket too. Comparing one era to another is not pertinent. There are so many variables that need to be considered before passing on the judgements.Virat led by an example in cricket in India and has always embarked fitness with passion and commitment,” he concluded.  

The Yo-Yo test like the bleep test is used to measure cardiovascular endurance with the difference being that the Yo-Yo test allows small breaks in between the sprints. Such tests though should be used with a pinch of salt, believes Sports Conditioning & Fitness specialist, Deckline Leitao. “Being able to score high on a Yo-Yo test doesn’t guarantee playing great cricket and vice versa. In Fact, for players who are recovering from hamstring, calf or lower-back injuries such maximum effort physical tests can be tricky,” he said.

“The first priority should be to keep the players injury-free in practice and get them ready to play on match days. Otherwise it becomes contradictory in being considered very fit and still miss playing matches due to back pain, etc. Cricket is a predominantly technical sport, but even in badminton which is one of the fastest sports in the world there is no mandatory Yo-Yo test for the Indian team as the selection is done on playing in selection trials and match performances. Therefore, playing good cricket should be the priority and fitness testing should be optional. Sometimes focusing too much on fitness can be the undoing for many players,” he added.