Last week the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India re-introduced the Yo-Yo fitness test as one of the selection parameters for their men’s team. At the same, a new element called DEXA was added to the checklist that a player needs to pass before making his way into the dressing room.
“The Yo-Yo Test and Dexa will now be part of selection criteria and implemented in the customised roadmaps of the central pool of players,” said BCCI in a press release.
During the Virat Kohli era, the Yo-Yo was the only parameter to test the fitness of players. Those achieving the highest scores were deemed super fit, while those with below-par numbers had to wait for their next chance and work on their fitness till then.
What is DEXA?
DEXA scans help to measure the body fat percentage, lean muscle mass, water content and bone density of an individual. The bone density check includes two types of beams – high energy and low energy. Both these beams are passed through the bone, and the number of X-rays emitted is measured; thus, the density is found. The thickness of bones is also one of the important factors in DEXA scans.
Given that these scans have been introduced alongside the Yo-Yo test, the benchmark for the players undergoing these measures is definitely going to be a challenging one.
According to reports, the BCCI will also keep an eye on the fitness of injury-prone players.
“The issues of player availability, workload management and fitness parameters were also discussed at length during the meeting along with the roadmap to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” added BCCI in its release.
The selectors will now pick India’s squad for the forthcoming ODI and T20I series against New Zealand based on the newly introduced selection criteria.
