New Delhi, Sep 2: The Indian cricket team is set to adopt the rugby-inspired Bronco Test as part of its fitness benchmarks, according to an Indian Express report.
The move comes on the recommendation of strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux, who believes Indian pacers need greater running endurance beyond gym-based training.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly approved the initiative.
Currently, cricketers undergo the Yo-Yo Test and a two-kilometre time trial. In the Bronco Test, players run a sequence covering 240 metres in one set—0m to 60m, back to 0m, to 40m, back to 0m, to 20m, and back again—repeated five times to complete 1,200 metres.
The benchmark time set for Indian players is under six minutes.
By comparison, the existing 2-km trial requires fast bowlers to finish within 8 minutes 15 seconds, while batters, wicketkeepers, and spinners have a target of 8 minutes 30 seconds.
The Yo-Yo Test standard remains at 17.1.
Former India strength and conditioning coach Ramji Srinivasan believes the Bronco Test could be particularly beneficial for pacers, who have faced repeated injury setbacks.
“Fast bowlers are like cricket decathletes.
Their role demands running, sprinting, braking, and jumping with different forces acting on the body.
Bronco provides vital data on aerobic fitness and fatigue that can be aligned with skill requirements,” Srinivasan told Sportsboom.
The decision follows India’s struggles during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where debutant Anshul Kamboj and senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah both struggled to maintain pace.
The report also noted that several leading Indian players have already undergone the Bronco Test.
The introduction of the Bronco Test in Indian Cricket, therefore, marks more than just a change in India’s fitness protocols—it signals a cultural shift in how the team plans to build resilience and longevity, especially among its pace attack.
For years, injuries and inconsistent workloads have haunted Indian fast bowlers, often leaving the side scrambling for backup options in crucial series.
By incorporating a rugby-style benchmark that stresses aerobic endurance alongside strength, the Indian management is hoping to reduce breakdowns significantly, improve recovery rates, and ensure that bowlers can maintain their speeds deeper into matches and across formats.
With the Yo-Yo and 2-km trials already in place, the Bronco now adds another layer of assessment designed to test not only physical preparedness but also mental grit under pressure.
If embraced wholeheartedly, it could become the foundation for a fitter, more robust Indian side, one that can withstand the physical demands of modern cricket and give its bowlers the edge they so often lose to fatigue and injuries.
Ultimately, the success of this initiative will depend on how quickly players adapt and how effectively the data gathered is used to fine-tune individual training regimens, but for a team eyeing dominance across formats, the Bronco Test might just be the step forward that was long overdue. (Agencies)
