Not fair to drop players on yo-yo test outcome, believes Mohammad Kaif

When people think of Mohammed Kaif, the first thing that pops into their minds, apart from that brilliant innings in the Natwest series win, is some brilliant displays in the field. Kaif was one of the first Indian cricketers to establish a sense of importance when it came to fitness standards in the sport of cricket in India.

Having said that, the former star felt that using fitness as the only means of judgement for budding cricketers was unfair. Kaif was not completely convinced with the BCCI-mandated Yo-Yo test that the players need to pass in order to be a part of the national squad. 

"It's not fair to drop people on the basis of yo-yo test. The two-day festival began on Friday in the Odisha Capital.

"This is a skill-based game. Fitness is important but it is being over-hyped. You need to find a balance. You need to take wickets, score runs, save runs. You can't do that if you are not fit. So, of course, fitness is important,"  Kaif said during his interactive session at the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Regarded as one of the finest fielders that India has ever produced, Kaif recalled the Beep Test that was used by the BCCI to assess players’ fitness levels when he was part of the national team. Kaif, who last played for India in 2006, spoke out for the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina who have failed to make a comeback to the Indian team due to the increased emphasis put on the dreaded Yo-Yo test.

"At our times, we used to take the Beep Test, but nobody was dropped for not passing it. We were given 2-3 months to improve our fitness and meet the desired level of the test without being dropped," he said.

Cricket FootBall Kabaddi

Basketball Hockey

SportsCafe