Yo-yo tests have been a staple of the Indian cricket team’s conditioning regimen for numerous years. Yo-yo tests were introduced in 2017 by strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu to assess cricketers’ endurance fitness levels.
The Indian team has established a standard of 16.1. Players who score higher than this limit are eligible for selection to the Indian squad in any format. New Zealand and England have a cut-off of 19; Pakistan and Sri Lanka have a cut-off of 17.4.
Virat Kohli is a role model not just as a batsman but also as an athlete. He is one of the world’s fittest cricketers and a role model for young people to look up to and learn from. The Indian skipper has been a vegan for quite some time and frequently lectures about the significance of maintaining a healthy physique. His Yo-Yo test result is 19. Few International cricketers, though, have scored more than Kohli in the Yo-Yo test.
1. Michael Clarke- 20.1
The 2015 World Cup-winning captain of Australia was very lively on the cricket field that his colleagues affectionately dubbed him ‘Pup.’ Clarke’s active and dynamic on-field manner was evident in some of the incredible run-outs he inflicted, and it has also had a significant impact on the current Australian team’s magnificent fielding standards. Clarke earned a respectable 20.1 in a test, behind only off-spinner Steve O’Keefe’s 20.2, and remains Australia’s second-best performance on that metric to this day.
2. Beth Langston- 19.1
The Essex-born all-rounder hasn’t been a key player of the England Women’s team, but it hasn’t stopped her from training hard to be in top shape. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) YouTube account debuted a video depicting the women’s squad players in training action on June 9, 2018. Beth covered a total of 2080 meters in that video, bringing her cumulative yo-yo test scores to a mind-boggling 19.1.
3. Shan Masood- 22.1
Shan Masood has been quite effective at blunting the venom of rival bowlers because of his tough batting attitude, which has allowed him to play some extended innings at the top. He batted over two days and scored 156 off 319 balls in his most recent century against England at Old Trafford. In England’s capricious batting conditions, it requires a true degree of fitness to bat with such a strong temperament. A brief glance at his yo-yo test results demonstrates this. Masood set an all-time best in the Pakistan team with 22.1 points in 2017.
4. Sir Alastair Cook- 22.3
The former England captain had a reputation for wearing out rival bowlers with his methodical and smooth batting while he was playing international cricket. To do such incredible feats, you need otherworldly levels of fitness. Cook’s god-like yo-yo test results back up that claim; in a test taken in 2018, the (then) 33-year-old opener put his young English colleagues to shame, recording a score of 22.3–the highest for any England player.
5. Kagiso Rabada- 19.2
Kagiso Rabada’s ability to bowl extended, relentless stints with sustained aggression makes him a dangerous wicket-taker. He is deservedly ranked among the best bowlers in the world by the International Cricket Council (ICC). His results on the yo-yo test leaderboards are similarly excellent and should not be overlooked. According to a 2016 study, Rabada has a test average of 19.2, which he shares with AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn as the highest for any South African cricketer.
