'With Sourav at helm, things would have been different': Yuvraj Singh takes aim at Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri

Ever since his retirement from international cricket, Yuvraj Singh has never let go of any opportunity to lash out at the yo-yo test and in many ways has targeted Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. Yuvraj said that the Yo-Yo Test was used as an excuse to deny him a place in the team. Even in his retirement announcement, he spoke about how he was promised a farewell game provided he failed the 'Yo-Yo' fitness test. However, he passed it and therefore, he did not get the farewell match. 

In a recent interview, he claimed that if Sourav Ganguly (current BCCI President) had been at the helm during the final stages of his playing career, things would have been different as far as his career was concerned.

Yuvraj takes aim at Yo-Yo test

"Yes, I maintain that if Sourav would have been there, things would have been different. The yo-yo test couldn't have been an excuse if a player was performing to keep him out of reckoning," Yuvraj told Gulf News.

Yuvraj, who played under the captaincy of Ganguly, is positive about the influence of the former Indian skipper on BCCI and on Indian cricket. 

"In Sourav, we have a former cricketer and a very successful captain who understands the needs of the players. I consider him to be a visionary and hope he looks after the state of domestic cricket as well," Yuvraj added.

Yo-Yo test has been a mandatory tool in Indian cricket and players need to pass this test if they have to be considered for selection across all the formats. Coach Ravi Shastri has on more than one occasion spoken about how this will always be in place and that players need to be fit.

"You have a certain ability but if you are fit then you can enhance it. That's why we emphasize on Yo-Yo test. If anyone thinks that this is a one-off thing, he is sadly mistaken. He can take a walk," Shastri has often maintained his stance in the past.

Captain Virat Kohli, who has in many ways, ushered in a fitness revolution in Indian cricket, also speaks about how being fit is important when the side is looking to win games in tough overseas conditions.

"Either you get emotional and let go (chuck) a policy or taking hard calls and moving ahead with the system. All those things have come together nicely and we are looking forward towards playing some real hard cricket. We are looking forward towards playing difficult cricket as that's the only way we will be able to test ourself as a team," Kohli agreed with Shastri.