Ravi Shastri reveals the reason behind Suresh Raina’s exclusion

Why was it so easy for the Indian team management to remove Suresh Raina from the team? Is it that his form that kept troubling him and the Indian team? Not really! Raina was last seen plying his trade in Indian colours against England, scoring a sumptuous 63 off 45 shelling out  two flashy fours and five towering sixes.

Ever since the chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad has been appointed at the helm of the selection committee, clearing the YoYo test has become the necessity for every single player. The ones who missed out on passing the test was shrugged off from India’s setup. Examples are Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.

However, Yuvraj Singh did sweat it out at the NCA and passed the test with 16.3 score that was well beyond the cut-off score. He is just waiting for some domestic games before making a comeback into the Indian cricket team. But Suresh Raina hasn’t really managed to get past the standard score of 16.1 set by the BCCI.

Indian head  coach Ravi Shastri opened up  about the Yo-Yo test and how it has become the ‘hygiene’ factor for player in order to play for the national team. It doesn’t matter whether one bats or bowls nicely but if he is not fit as a fiddle then he might well have to make way for the fittest athletes.

“Like I said the last time, fitness is the benchmark if you’ve got to be a regular in Team India. You may have a brilliant ability to time the ball or bowl exceptionally, but if you aren’t fit, it’s not going to work,” Ravi Shastri was quoted as saying by TOI.

Suresh Raina is well aware of fitness factor and he would be hoping to pass the test in a bid to don the Indian colours in the times to come. Let’s hope Suresh Raina gets rid of these choppy waters and returns to the national setup.