Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were expected to make the cut for India’s tour to Sri Lanka for the limited over series. But as the team was announced, the two were missing from the scheme of things which sparked a lot of controversies.
It was later revealed that the duo failed to pass the ‘Yo-Yo’ fitness test and hence they were not considered. There has been an increased focus on fitness in the Indian team and the skipper Virat Kohli himself leads with an example.
The head coach of the side Ravi Shastri too seconded the argument of fitness. He said the Indian team wants the best fielding unit on the ground and there is no margin for error in that regards.
“We want the best fielding side on the park. That’s it. So how do you become the best fielding side on the park? Fitness. And that’s why there have been parameters set,” said Ravi Shastri according to ESPN Cricinfo, extending the importance of fitness in the team.
“My job is not to get involved in selection ever because I want my players to trust me. That’s the job of selectors. They watch more cricket and they see it the year around. If anyone fits into their parameters, depending on their form, then on the cricket field, they are available for selection,” added the former Indian captain.
When asked whether Yuvi and Raina’s exclusion from the side was pertaining to the fitness issues, Shastri replied by saying, “Yes. When there are parameters put in place and that’s the vision of the team, then everyone has to fit into those parameters. It is as simple as that.”
Yuvraj and Raina will have to work pretty hard to make a comeback because the standards of fitness in the Indian team won’t go down in the near future.
