Rayudu Fails Yo-yo Test; Dropped from England ODIs

Ambati Rayudu, in spite of a great batting display during the most recent edition of the IPL, failed the yo-yo test on the 15th of June, 2018. As a result, he will not be proceeding to England for the upcoming ODI and Test series to be played there in August this year. His is the latest in a string of failures that had included young and upcoming hopefuls such as Sanju Samson and Mohammed Shami, who were also dropped for failing this fitness assessment. Perhaps of greater note is the fact that stars like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina also failed to clear the test earlier. However, a repeat attempt by Raina saw him provide the required performance, and he was able to avoid being dropped altogether.

The Yo-yo test is a modified version of the Leger Test, developed by Luc Leger of the University of Montreal. The reason for the modification was due to the lack of suitability to the sport of cricket, specifically, with the current Yo-yo Test taking into account the fact that levels of activity experienced by cricket players during a match are sporadic, at best. While the Leger Test required athletes to complete a shuttle run, running back and forth between cones or markers set 20 meters apart, in a non-stop 12-minute period, the Yo-yo Test focuses on the test taker’s ability to accelerate between subsequent repetitions of the run between the two points. Expressed differently, it requires the test taker to be able to complete a distance of two kilometres in about eight minutes, the primary difference being that the distance is not a sustained goal, and the test taker has to effectively accelerate continuously during the run.

At present, India ranks lower down on the spectrum of nations who have adopted this test as a cut-off for selection.