BCCI confirm Yo-Yo test as new eligibility criteria for Team India selection

Following a disappointing year for the Indian men’s team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) convened a review meeting to strengthen the health of the national team in Mumbai on Sunday (Jan 1). 

"The meeting was attended by BCCI President Mr Roger Binny, Honorary Secretary Mr Jay Shah, Indian Captain Mr Rohit Sharma, Team India (Senior Men) Head Coach Mr Rahul Dravid, Head of Cricket (NCA) Mr VVS Laxman and Chairman of Senior Men Selection Committee Mr Chetan Sharma," said the BCCI press release. 

"The issues of player availability, workload management and fitness parameters were also discussed at length during the meeting along with the roadmap to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023," it added. 

The committee decided that the emerging players will have to play a substantial season of domestic cricket before becoming eligible to represent the national team. This then eliminates any chance of a player being picked out of nowhere in the setup, on the basis of a few limelight performances. 

One of the major issues that has plagued the Indian team in the recent past has been several key players missing marquee fixtures due to injuries, including the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar not being available for the T20 World Cup in Australia. BCCI have put more emphasis on building a customized roadmap for the central pool of players, with the ODI World Cup looming large. 

Yo-Yo Test and Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) will now become part of the selection criteria and further will be implemented in the customized roadmap of the central pool of players. While Yo-Yo Test was earlier part of the selection criteria, it has now returned following a break. DEXA, the bone-density test will allow the BCCI to assess the conditions of the players' bones. 

Alongside that, the NCA will now work directly in tandem with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to monitor certain players participating in the upcoming edition of the competition. 

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the BCCI has also shortlisted 20 players for the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India. These players will be rotated in the upcoming assignments so that India are well prepared for the showpiece event.