The Indian squad for the limited overs series against New Zealand is going to be picked soon. The off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Yuvraj Singh recently appeared for the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy at Bengaluru. While Ashwin managed to pass the test, Yuvraj failed to clear it again.
The spinner announced the news of his clearance through a tweet in which he wrote, “Been a good trip to Bangalore, yo yo test done and dusted. Now #backtothegrind #RanjiTrophy2017 #teamtamilnadu.”
Been a good trip to Bangalore, yo yo test done and dusted. Now #backtothegrind #RanjiTrophy2017 #teamtamilnadu
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) October 11, 2017
Ashwin was rested after the Test series in Sri Lanka and wasn’t picked for the limited overs series in the Island nation. He made his way to England to play in the County cricket for Worcestershire and enjoyed a pretty good run with his side winning the Division two Championship.
The 31-year-old was rested for the series against Australia as well and in his absence, the young spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel did a fantastic job. It remains to be seen whether the selectors call Ashwin back for the ODI and T20I fixtures of New Zealand later this month.
Tough road ahead for Yuvraj
On the other hand, Yuvraj Singh was omitted from the limited overs squad for the Sri Lankan tour after he failed the ‘Yo-Yo’ fitness test. Even against Australia, the southpaw couldn’t gain the required fitness to make it to the side.
The Indian selectors have made it very strict for the players to maintain their fitness. A 16.1 score is required from the test to be eligible for selection. Recently, Suresh Raina and Amit Mishra had also failed to clear it and were not considered for selection in the India A squad against New Zealand A.
The road ahead for Yuvraj looks tough as plenty of youngsters are fighting for a place in the side. The 35-year-old had trained hard to acquire the needed fitness but unfortunately, he fell short once again.
