A file image of Indian hockey midfielder Sardar Singh.
In the modern-day sports, fitness is the first criteria to excel in any game. With each passing day, fitness standards are also getting higher. Even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has included the 'Yo-Yo' endurance test as a primary criteria for players to get selected in the national team. Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, who is regarded as one of world's fittest sportsmen, has aced the Yo-Yo test. Kohli's highest score in the test is 19.1 while the score set by the BCCI to qualify is 16 points. The test has gone a long way in improving the fitness standards of the Indian cricket team.
According to a report in the Indian Express, there is one sportsperson who has surpassed Kohli's score by a long margin to establish himself as the fittest Indian sportsperson. It is none other than former India hockey captain Sardar Singh, who has raised the bar to a pretty high point.
The Indian hockey midfielder, who is about 4 years elder to Kohli, has set a score of 21.4 in Yo-Yo test.
Sardar is all set to make his comeback in the national team after being dropped for the Hockey World Series Final 2017 and the subsequent 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. He was dropped primarily because of his poor fitness and also due to losing hold over the midfield. It was surely a tough time for the former captain, but he didn't give up and worked on his fitness to get back into the team dominated by young talents.
The 32-year-old midfielder was the youngest captain in Indian hockey history and is also the recipient of country’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.
The Indian men's hockey team is all set to defend its Asian Games title at Jakarta and all eyes will be on the midfield maestro Sardar. The gold at Jakarta will ensure India's place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
