IND vs SL 1st ODI: Cricket is a changed sport now and there is no doubt about it. The game has evolved with time and has become more fitness based. After the rising popularity of the shortest format of the game and the franchise leagues, cricket has evolved and it is not the same anymore. As far as the Indian cricket team is concerned, the Yo-Yo Test was a mandatory criteria of selection during Virat Kohli's reign as the skipper of the Indian cricket team.
After a meeting at the BCCI headquarters last week, it has now been made very clear that the Yo-Yo Test and Dexa fitness tests will be mandatory criteria for the players to earn their place in the Indian squad. This decision has not gone down well with former India legend Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar hasn't minced words and has cited his example to support his stand on the same issue.
Gavaskar further said:
As far as fitness is concerned, there is nothing such as one size fits all. A fast bowler needs a different kind of fitness as compared to a spinner. In my younger days, I used to suffer from a condition called shin splits. If I ever did a couple of laps of the ground, muscles around my shin used to seize up making it painful for me to walk. Cricket fitness should be a prime level of consideration.
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It is not only Gavaskar who seems miffed with the Yo-Yo and Dexa Test, but Kapil Dev also has spoken about it in the past. Dev said that Gavaskar never enjoyed running more than 15 minutes but that never affected his batting as he could bat for long hours. The former World Cup-winning captain also cited the example of Diego Maradona and said that the Argentina captain wasn't the fastest runner, but when he had the ball, it was difficult to keep up with him.
