Skillful or not, there’s no escaping the yo-yo

[Switchblade]

https://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-blog/skillful-not-theres-escaping-yo-yo/300509

 

Sanju Samson ought to have been in Leeds currently with the India A team, bracing up for Sunday’s first 50-over practice match against Yorkshire ahead of the triangular ‘A’ tri-series with hosts England and Windies as the other protagonists.

Instead, he is somewhere in India at the moment, licking his wounds and wondering where his already controversial, incident-ridden career is headed.

Mohammed Shami should have been plotting Afghanistan’s downfall at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore had all other things been equal. Instead, like Samson, Shami might be racking his brain trying to make sense of it all.

Shami and Samson are the latest, most high-profile victims of Indian cricket’s insistence on an uncompromising attitude towards fitness.

Ahead of the ‘A’ team’s tour to England, Samson failed the Yo-Yo test at the National Cricket Academy. His spot in the Rahul Dravid-coached squad went to Ishan Kishan, the former India Under-19 skipper coming off a brilliant run for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Shami, it is learnt, didn’t come through the ‘Mile’ test, a reasonably recent introduction to the Indian set-up. Even though he was part of the Delhi Daredevils squad, Shami – plagued by accusations of domestic abuse – played only four matches for modest returns of 3 for 143 before being benched as Delhi looked ahead under new skipper Shreyas Iyer.

When the India and India A teams were announced in Bangalore on May 8, there was no indication that anyone’s place was under threat owing to fitness parameters. MSK Prasad, the chairman of the selection committee, was specifically asked if there would be yo-yo tests for the Test players. “Of course. It is a standard norm,” the former India stumper had replied. “We are following that with India A also. Everyone (has) passed (the test).”

True, no one had asked the chairman what would happen in the event of a player failing a test. We know now what will happen, don’t we?

So, does it mean that fitness is more important than skills? That a player who has been picked because he is deemed skilled enough to represent the national team or the team just one rung below it can lose his spot because he can’t touch 16.1 on the yo-yo test? And when we say fitness, should we be looking at just cricket fitness – because, after all, we are talking about a cricketer, not an Olympic level athlete – or should we be looking for something more than just the ability to bat six hours, or to bowl one’s 30th over of the day at the same pace and with the same intensity as his first?

Of course, there is no excuse for failing the yo-yo test which, we have been informed more than once, is no more than a very basic test that one must be extremely unprofessional not to clear with any degree of ease. The clamour for a basic standard of fitness is hardly unreasonable. Mohammad Shahzad might get away with playing for Afghanistan, like Ramesh Powar did for India, but that is unlikely to be the norm even with Test cricket’s newest entrants. In this day of example-setting, it isn’t just enough to look fit, one needs to be fit too. Already, the head coach and the bowling coach of the Indian team look far fitter for two months away from the game, and if the support staff can get themselves to work their backsides off, there is no reason why young men in their 20s, and with their future ahead of them, can’t do likewise.

However, should fitness have the final say? I know there are tangible parameters by which to measure fitness, just like there aren’t to measure skills – cricket is surely more about just the number of runs and wickets, right? – but for a world-class cricketer to perform at his optimal level, skills and physical fitness must be equal allies, at best. If anything, it is the cricketing ability that should shade any other factor. Shami, who will be key to India’s fortunes over the next eight months as they target Test series triumphs in England and Australia, is second to none when it comes to his mastery over new ball and old. And as he showed earlier this year in South Africa, he was far more effective and potent in his second and third spells than in his first. Without a certain level of fitness, I am not sure he could have managed that.

Be that as it may, the Indian team management has sent out a clear message through the events of this week. That there is no room for compromise on basic non-negotiables. That they were willing to acknowledge the lack of fitness of Samson and Shami in public is a welcome development from a cricket board that has been happy for people to indulge in speculation and rabble-rousing by cloaking even the most obvious of activities in clandestine secrecy.

Evidently, ‘subject to fitness’ has become an unwritten asterisk accompanying the selection of any Indian cricket team. The Shami-Samson episode of earlier this week will have come as a rude jolt to those that might have expected lenience of some sort because of their abilities with bat or ball or both. To many, that might appear unfair, but at least there is no scope for ambiguity because, pun intended, you know what the score is. Never was shape up or ship out a more appropriate axiom from a cricketing standpoint.

[Trichromatic]

Quote

So, does it mean that fitness is more important than skills?

India already has lowest level required to pass the test. What's next? Allow players to take players field even if they fall after 100 m just because they have some skill.

 

We played skilled Zak in first test at Lord's in 2011 and saw what happened. How did more important skill help us?

[mancalledsting]

This attitude should have been in place years ago, thank God it’s finally here. 

[Switchblade]

14 minutes ago, Trichromatic said:

India already has lowest level required to pass the test. What's next? Allow players to take players field even if they fall after 100 m just because they have some skill.

 

We played skilled Zak in first test at Lord's in 2011 and saw what happened. How did more important skill help us?

That was embarrassing he was rested after the Ipl yet he broke down after the first session in England was depressing to watch.

[Switchblade]

1 minute ago, mancalledsting said:

This attitude should have been in place years ago, thank God it’s finally here. 

Bcci Babus had chalta hai attitude back then even though its present now as well.

[LordPrabhzy]

I dont get why people are hating on the Yo YO test. People are saying that fitness doesnt give you skill.. true but what it gives you is longevity in the game. Look at Kohli, in the last 2/3 years this is only his 2nd injury. This man never gets cramps during matches.

 

Its evident at looking at the indian team that apart from Kohli, no one really gives a care about 'serious fitness'. Look at at Rohit.. the man has a belly now, why is he even considered an athlete? Jhadav, Dhoni etc. Their age is catching up with them. There needs to be a serious overhaul in our attitudes to sport. We have chosen to excel in one sport that doesnt require peak fitness and stamina like football or basketball does. That shows how inherently lazy we are and we rather eat chole bhature and desi sweets than healthy nutritious food to aid a serious fitness regime.

[Khota]

No compromise. I was never gifted or good. My tennis coach always reminded me that one cannot control talent as it is god given but fitness you have complete control over. There is no excuse for this BS.

 

Cricket players should be reminded how hard other sports people work. Michael Phelps while training would consume 12000 calories a day. Now put that in context. I doubt if cricket players dissipate any more than 5 to 7000 calories

[GolGappe]

Read somewhere that India's yo-yo baseline is set at 16.1. It's lower than minimum standard expected used by all the other countries who use yo-yo test to determine fitness and agility.

These guys are making big dollars so should be able to keep themselves in great shape.

 

Has it been confirmed that Rayudu failed due to poor-fitness not injury like Sanju Samson?

 

[Khota]

	males		females
rating	meters	level	meters	level
elite	> 1280	> 22.5	> 800	> 21.1
excellent	1000-1280	21.6-22.5	720-800	20.7-21.1
good	720-1000	20.7-21.6	480-720	20.1-20.7
average	480-720	20.1-20.7	360-480	19.2-20.1
below average	280-480	18.3-20.1	160-360	17.2-19.2
very poor	< 280	< 18.3	< 160	< 17.2     If I am interpreting the data correctly they are being hardly tested.

[Scar]

3 hours ago, Khota said:

	males		females
rating	meters	level	meters	level
elite	> 1280	> 22.5	> 800	> 21.1
excellent	1000-1280	21.6-22.5	720-800	20.7-21.1
good	720-1000	20.7-21.6	480-720	20.1-20.7
average	480-720	20.1-20.7	360-480	19.2-20.1
below average	280-480	18.3-20.1	160-360	17.2-19.2
very poor	< 280	< 18.3	< 160	< 17.2     If I am interpreting the data correctly they are being hardly tested.

Is yo-yo standard everywhere? Or there are fluctuations in the methodology used? 

[vishalvirsingh]

8 hours ago, mancalledsting said:

This attitude should have been in place years ago, thank God it’s finally here. 

i am also game for the YO YO Test but the one's who fail marginally should be given another chance to appear again the Next day or two days Later as they can have a sound sleep and a few juices/energy drink and Suceed.

 

i kinda feel rayudu and  SAMSON could have tried hard again and cleared. Yes if they failed again they should not be selected.

[kosingh]

39 minutes ago, vishalvirsingh said:

i am also game for the YO YO Test but the one's who fail marginally should be given another chance to appear again the Next day or two days Later as they can have a sound sleep and a few juices/energy drink and Suceed.

 

i kinda feel rayudu and  SAMSON could have tried hard again and cleared. Yes if they failed again they should not be selected.

Pretty sure that is the case already.

 

Whether a player fails badly or marginally, more than 1 chance is given. 

Edited June 16, 2018 by kosingh

[Khota]

1 hour ago, Scar said:

Is yo-yo standard everywhere? Or there are fluctuations in the methodology used? 

I don't know enough. I saw two and put the numbers for the tougher ones. In either case the numbers they have to meet show a lower grade athlete. Compare them to baseball players and cricket players look clueless.

 

I can categorically state you can take any random outfielder or infielder from baseball and he will outperform the best selected cricekt player in athleticism. Cricket players are pretty poor athletes.

[vishalvirsingh]

47 minutes ago, kosingh said:

Pretty sure that is the case already.

 

Whether a player fails badly or marginally, more than 1 chance is given. 

are you sure about that...i am not aware?

[vishalvirsingh]

41 minutes ago, Khota said:

I don't know enough. I saw two and put the numbers for the tougher ones. In either case the numbers they have to meet show a lower grade athlete. Compare them to baseball players and cricket players look clueless.

 

I can categorically state you can take any random outfielder or infielder from baseball and he will outperform the best selected cricekt player in athleticism. Cricket players are pretty poor athletes.

i agree basket ball and base ball player fitness requirements are much tougher 

[R.D forever]

Is this only for ODIs. Cause I cannot beleive that Ashwin and Rohit passed the test but rayudu and Sanju failed..

 

 

[kosingh]

3 hours ago, Scar said:

Is yo-yo standard everywhere? Or there are fluctuations in the methodology used? 

It is not uncommon. Here is the England team's yoyo test

 

 

 

[Ankit_sharma03]

IF its the criteria set by national team n captain , all cricketers shud be ready for it 

When virat came the captain , it was sure that he wud put indian cricket attitude towards fitness to next level so lets not criticise that .

 

This may not be a perfect method, but getting a right system takes time

[Zero_Unit]

Asian players are some of the most laziest players in this game. Most apart from few (Kohli being the prime example) are unfit, tubby and injury prone. 

[eternalhope]

Good that they have some fitness criteria, but I don't think they are the correct ones, baffles me how Ashwin and Pujara are better than Sanju, Sundar or Rayudu.