BCCI goes hunting after Indian players, Rugby's fitness Test inducted to whip a lash

In a bold move to take the fitness of the Indian cricketers to a sky-high level, the BCCI has introduced the tough Bronco Test, a rugby-inspired drill designed to push even the fittest players to their limits. The India National Cricket Team has already drafted the Bronco Test into their schedule.

Bronco Test demands multiple shuttle runs over 20, 40, and 60 meters, which will test both speed and stamina of the players and put them under scrutiny. The Indian Express has confirmed that the Bronco Test is now part of India’s fitness regime.

The Bronco Test introduced in India National Cricket Team to fix fitness gap

The Indian daily newspaper revealed that the idea to bring the Bronco Test into Indian cricket came from the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Adrian le Roux. He wants fast bowlers to log more running miles instead of relying solely on gym sessions.

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Interestingly, the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has backed Adrian le Roux’s idea, which marked the new era of high-intensity fitness standards for the national team that was revolutionized by the former captain Virat Kohli, who is still one of the fittest athletes in the world at the age of 36.

This decision was taken after India’s recent five-match Test series in England exposed gaps in the fitness of the fast bowlers, as only Mohammed Siraj managed to play all matches. The reason behind introducing this test to the fitness benchmarks is to prevent such situations in the future and ensure that players can endure long spells on the demanding tours, especially in Test cricket.

Indian players face the toughest fitness regime ever

The report has also claimed that some of India’s top stars have already undergone the Bronco Test at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. However, they also faced the existing fitness benchmarks like the Yo-Yo Test and the 2-kilometer time trial.

It is being said that the new test is likely to revolutionize the fitness culture of the Indian cricket team, emphasizing endurance, speed, and consistency over traditional gym work.

A source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, “The Bronco Test has been introduced at the Centre of Excellence. Some of India’s contracted players have travelled to Bengaluru and have taken the test.

The Bronco Test is being used to ensure there are clear fitness standards. Also, it was noticed that Indian cricketers, more so the fast bowlers, were not running enough and were spending too much time in the gym. Players have been told that they will have to do more running.”

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What is the Bronco Test?

In the brutal Bronco Test, a player begins with a 20-meter sprint, then powers through 40 meters and finally 60 meters, and that is only one complete set of lung-busting runs. Players will have to complete five consecutive sets without any break, which covers a total of 1,200 meters.

The new benchmark set for the Indian cricket team is unforgiving, as they must finish the entire test in six minutes or risk falling short of the new standards, which sent shockwaves through the squad. But the existing parameters will also be there, and players must clear those as well.

Yo-Yo-Test and 2-km Time Trial

The 2-km time trial still stands strong, with fast bowlers required to complete the task in 8 minutes 15 seconds, while batters, wicketkeepers, and spinners get only a slightly longer window of 8 minutes 30 seconds.

Add to that the Yo-Yo Test, where players run back and forth between two points 20 meters apart at faster and faster speeds. However, they get a 10-second break between each 40-meter run. The bar has been set at level 17.1 for the Yo-Yo Test.

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