What is Yo Yo Test in cricket: The test, which is a standard measure of fitness of players, was introduced by the BCCI in the year 2017.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in a bid to check upon the fitness standards of all its centrally contracted injury-marred players ahead of the imminent 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), conducted the mandatory ‘Yo Yo Test’ at the NCA in Bengaluru.
Skipper of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and out of action since the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, as per reports, passed the test with the score of 17.
Flamboyant opening batter Prithvi Shaw, on the other hand, failed to pass the Test. However, the same will not hinder with his participation in the upcoming IPL, as the 22-year-old is not considered for selection in any of the formats for team India presently.
What is Yo Yo Test in cricket
The Yo Yo test is a running aerobic fitness test, where a player is required to ‘shuttle’ between two cones that are placed 20 metres apart. He/she is supposed to commence on the sound of a beep, and has to scamper through to the cone ahead before the second beep. The player then turns back, and completes what is known as one ‘shuttle’ before the third beep sound, with a ten second recovery period between each shuttle.
With level 23 being the highest, the player begins with level 5 which comprises one shuttle. Next is level 9 (one shuttle), then level 11 (two shuttles), level 12 (three shuttles), level 13 (four shuttles), and finally 8 shuttles each from Level 14 onwards. Each shuttle covers a distance of 40 metres.
As player moves up each level, the time available to complete each shuttle keeps on decreasing, thereby making it challenging to achieve the qualifying score.
How to pass the Yo Yo test?
The BCCI presently has set 17:1 as the qualifying speed level in order for its players to pass the Yo Yo test. It means it is mandatory for their players to finish the first shuttle of speed level 17, which is equal to the accumulated distance of 1,120 metres.
The players’ speed/level is recorded until the point of the third warning. At the point of the third and last warning, which happens when the player has failed to complete the shuttle before the beep, the test ends.
While India’s minimum level stands at 17:1, it is 17:4 for Pakistan, 19 for players from the West Indies, and as high as 20:1 for New Zealand.
