Vikrant Shekhawat : Jan 16, 2025, 07:40 PM
Indian Cricket Team: The Indian cricket team has been struggling in ODI and Test formats for some time now. Team India's performance has declined since winning the T20 World Cup, which has increased the pressure on captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI. To deal with this situation, the BCCI recently organized a review meeting in Mumbai, where measures to improve the team's performance were discussed.Virat Kohli's fitness policy reconsideredAccording to reports, a proposal has been made in the meeting to bring back Virat Kohli's strict fitness policy. This is the same policy which Gautam Gambhir opposed before becoming the head coach. Kohli's special emphasis on fitness was seen during his captaincy period, when he made the Yo-Yo test mandatory for the players. Passing this test was mandatory to get a place in the team.Possibility of return of Yo-Yo testThe Yo-Yo test is an important tool to check the physical ability and recovery of the players. In this test, the player has to run continuously on a specially designed track, and its difficulty increases with every level. Kohli had brought about a big change in the fitness of the players by implementing it. However, in recent years, the BCCI relaxed this policy, due to which some players started being careless about fitness. Now the board is ready to implement this policy again, so that strict fitness standards can be re-established.Gautam Gambhir's viewGambhir was opposed to the Yo-Yo test before becoming a coach. He believed that the selection of players should be based on their skills and performance, not just on the results of the fitness test. He had said that it is the responsibility of the trainer to maintain fitness. Now the question is what attitude Gambhir will adopt towards this policy after becoming a coach.Direct relationship between fitness and performanceIn the history of Indian cricket, there has been a deep relationship between fitness and performance. Virat Kohli's fitness-based culture made the team better athletic and competitive. However, the recent laxity has affected the fitness of the team. Implementing fitness standards can be a necessary step for the Indian team, which can also reduce the problem of injuries of players.ConclusionGiven the current performance of the Indian cricket team, BCCI's return to a strict fitness policy can be a big and important step. While on one hand this policy will motivate the players to maintain better fitness levels, on the other hand it will also be challenging to maintain harmony between the coach and the board. It remains to be seen how helpful the return of fitness standards like Yo-Yo test will prove to be in improving the performance of Team India in the coming times.