India captain Virat Kohli, without a shadow of doubt, is one of the fittest players in the national team. The Delhi man has taken the standards of fitness to another level and all cricketers aspire to reach to his level.
The system of Yo-yo test has also been introduced in India, where players need to pass the test. As expected, Kohli has passed it with flying colours. Players like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have failed the test in the past, hence has not been picked for the India team for some time.
However, questions were raised when 38-year-old Ashish Nehra, who does not have a great track record on the field, reportedly passed the test. He was picked for the India versus Australia T20I series.
Are you ready for another surprise?
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag, who has played domestic and international cricket for Delhi and India respectively alongside Nehra, said that he was not surprised with the left-arm pacer's inclusion.
The cricketer-turned-commentator opened up about Nehra's fitness mantra and also revealed his score of 17-18 in the Yo-yo test almost matches Kohli. It is indeed a massive surprise.
"The secret behind Nehra's fitness is when he is not playing international cricket, he spends almost 8 hours in the gym (two sessions of 4 hours each). And if today he is a part of the T20 team, it is because he has passed the Yo-yo test. He scored almost 17-18 in the Yo-yo test, touching Virat Kohli's score," Sehwag told a TV channel.
"Nehra is a fast bowler and never faces any issues while running. So, he doesn't endure much problems in clearing the Yo-yo test. Nehra likes to stay fit and spends time in the gym. It is not that he is doing it forcefully. He likes to run, swim and I think he would have easily covered the distance of 20 metres in the Yo-yo test. He has also an advantage of his height. He is over six feet tall and has a long stride," Sehwag added.
Yuvraj and Raina should look at Nehra for inspiration
If Nehra can pass the fitness test with such dedicated fitness routine, there is no excuse for Yuvraj and Raina. They should look at Nehra for inspiration and try to get back to the Indian team. It is all about the hunger and desire of the player to improve his fitness.
