'Conducting the yo-yo test in a public domain holds significance': Former India player questions Indian cricket board approach

In the month of August, it was reported that the Indian Cricket Board (ICB) issued a verbal warning to Indian cricketers, urging them not to publicly share their yo-yo test scores, deeming this information as 'confidential.' This decision by the apex body came about after the renowned Indian cricketer Virat Kohli had posted his yo-yo test score on his official social media account.

Nevertheless, the legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disagreement with the ICB's position. He argued that disclosing the yo-yo test scores would simply inform the public whether a player who failed to meet the required fitness standards has been selected or not. In addition, in the month of January, the ICB reinstated the Yo-Yo fitness test and Dexa bone scan test as part of the eligibility criteria for Indian cricket team selection.

'There was a lot of excitement when Kohli put out his Yo-Yo score...' - Sunil Gavaskar

“If it is true that unless the minimum standard of the Yo-Yo test is not met, then the player is not eligible for selection then it’s all the more important for this test to be done in the public domain so that the public that follows the game in their millions know that there are no players who have not met the minimum standard in the team," Gavaskar wrote for mid-days column.

The legendary opener also dismissed the idea that Shubman Gill's yo-yo test score being higher than Kohli's means that Kohli is less physically fit than the younger player. The 74-year-old continued by emphasizing that the age gap between the two should not be overlooked and that the veteran should be acknowledged and commended for his impressive level of fitness.

“There was a lot of excitement when Kohli put out his Yo-Yo score which was more than the limit that the trainers had set. Shubman Gill posting an even better Yo-Yo score than Virat was by no means one-upmanship. The age difference between the two mustn’t be forgotten and the elder has to be admired for his fitness standard. The Indian cricket board then directed that nobody should post their Yo-Yo test scores which might have actually saved some blushes for some," he former India skipper concluded.