In 2023, reports emerged that several prominent India women's cricketers had failed the BCCI's mandatory yo-yo fitness test, raising questions about both player fitness and the support structures in place. The yo-yo test benchmark for women's cricketers was set at 16.1, and a handful of squad members reportedly failed to meet it.
The situation was somewhat comical on the surface — the idea of international athletes failing a fitness test made for easy punchlines. However, beneath the humour lay a more serious issue. Many of the players who failed pointed out that they did not have access to the same training facilities, nutritionists, and fitness coaches that their male counterparts enjoyed. The women's domestic cricket calendar was also far less demanding, meaning players had fewer competitive matches to maintain peak fitness.
The BCCI's response was to double down on the fitness requirements, arguing that professionalism in women's cricket required the same standards as men's cricket. Critics countered that mandating equal standards without providing equal resources was unfair and potentially counterproductive — forcing out experienced players for fitness reasons when they hadn't been given the tools to get fit.
The episode reflected the growing pains of women's cricket in India as it professionalised rapidly. The launch of the WPL in 2023 helped by giving players more match time and better support structures, but the fitness test controversy remained a reminder that equality in standards must be accompanied by equality in resources.