Ashish Nehra discloses his YoYo test score and explains why it was easier for him

What's the story?

After retiring from all forms of cricket earlier this month, former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has been a part of the Hindi commentary panel for the ongoing India-Sri Lanka Series. Nehra shared his thoughts on various things and went on to reveal why he found Yo-Yo Test easier when compared to the other cricketers.

Nehra cleared the Yo-Yo Test ahead of the T20I series against Australia and New Zealand and because of that, he was picked in the Indian squad.

"Yo-Yo test is just like we used to repeat the sprints and take the Blip test in 2002-03. In this test, you have to cover a range of 20 meters in a given time and have to return to start point on a blip. Once you reach 13 or 14 rating, you accelerate yourself. Team India has set 16.1 which is going to be 16.5 soon. So you have to run a lot. I found it easy because as a pacer, I’m fond of running. But some players find it difficult. Like Yuvraj Singh is still stuck in there and yet to clear it," he said.

Details

Nehra also went on to reveal that he registered 18.5 marks while the qualifying mark in 16.1. The Delhi pacer also added that all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Manish Pandey marked 19 and admitted that he has no idea about the mark obtained by the Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

"All the players perform above than 16.1 mark as that is the qualifying mark. Hardik Pandya has done 19, I marked 18.5 ahead of the T20I series against England in January. Manish Pandey does 19. Since I haven’t checked captain’s result so I don’t have an idea about that," Nehra added.

In case you didn't know...

Indian captain Virat Kohli and the selectors have made sure that all the players undergo Yo-Yo tests to prove their fitness before they are picked in the Indian team. Though these Yo-Yo tests have been existing for a while, it became a criterion for selection when the Indian squad was picked for India's ODI series against Sri Lanka.

In spite of giving the test a try on several occasions, discarded Indian players Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh have found it difficult to clear it.

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Author's Take

It is a brilliant move by the Indian team management to give more importance to fitness and pick the players who prove their fitness prior to the series. Though some of the younger players are struggling to clear it, Nehra, who is set to turn 40 soon, cleared it with ease and he deserves a lot of credit for doing so.