The Bronco Test for Indian cricketers has officially been added to the BCCI’s fitness programme. Designed to improve aerobic capacity and endurance, the rugby-based test is now part of the fitness evaluation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Strength and conditioning coach Adrian le Roux pushed for its inclusion. He emphasised that pacers must run more on the field instead of relying heavily on gym routines. Head coach Gautam Gambhir backed the plan after concerns arose during the five-Test England series, where only Mohammed Siraj lasted all games.
What the Bronco Test Involves
The drill requires a sequence of 20m, 40m, and 60m shuttle runs, counted as one set. Players must complete five such sets, covering 1,200 metres in total, without a pause. The target time for Indian cricketers has been set at six minutes.
Purpose Behind the Move
A BCCI source confirmed, “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 spending too much time in the gym. Players have been told that they will have to do more running.”
Other Fitness Tests Still in Place
The Bronco Test complements existing benchmarks such as the Yo-Yo Test and the 2-km time trial. Fast bowlers need to finish 2 km within 8 minutes 15 seconds, while batsmen, keepers, and spinners have 8 minutes 30 seconds. The Yo-Yo Test minimum remains fixed at 17.1.
Le Roux, who rejoined the Indian team in June, earlier worked with the squad in 2002-2003 and also held roles with Cricket South Africa and IPL franchises Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings.
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