Despite the rise in fitness awareness among players, the Indian cricket team have struggled with quite a few injuries in the last 12 months.
As perennial cricketing action continues to entertain fans, combined with the rise of franchise leagues worldwide, it has been increasingly tough for players to stay in peak physical shape
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Although Indian cricketers largely stay away from overseas franchise leagues, participating only in the two-month IPL window annually, the frequent breakdown of players has still sparked genuine concern within the system, particularly with next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup on the horizon
The BCCI has recently changed the parameters of testing to adapt to the increasing workload
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What is Bronco Test?
The Bronco Test made its way into Indian cricket last year, with BCCI’s strength and conditioning coach, Adrian le Roux introducing it to the set up
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Although new to cricket, this high-intensity shuttle drill has long been a staple fitness test within rugby circles. Although the format itself is straightforward, it is extremely demanding
Four cones are set out at 0m, 20m, 40m and 60m along a line. Players have to sprint back and forth between them, and once all three legs, out to 20m, back and out to 40m, and finally out to 60m, are done, that’s one full set in the books, adding up to 240 metres covered
From there, it only gets tougher. Players must string together five of these sets back to back, with zero rest in between, racking up a total of 1,200 metres by the time they’re through. Whatever time they clock across all five sets gets logged at the finish.
What is a 2K run?
Once the 2-kilometre run wraps up, players move straight into the Bronco test. The idea behind it is simple: see how well a player’s heart and lungs hold up, and how long they can keep pushing through intense, repeated bursts of effort without breaking down
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Under the Centre of Excellence’s current standards, players are expected to complete the two-kilometre distance within a window of nine to ten minutes
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What are BCCI’s new fitness rules for Team India?
According to a report in The Times of India, both the BCCI and the current team management are concerned with physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain over the repeated string of player injuries and a noticeable decline in overall fitness levels
The same report suggests that the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence is preparing to roll out a standardised, uniform fitness programme, something the setup has reportedly lacked until now, to properly evaluate players going forward. Under this revised approach, selection will increasingly hinge on players clearing minimum fitness thresholds through standardised assessments like the Bronco Test and the 2-kilometre run
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It has been reported that for the Bronco Test, earlier cut-off time was six minutes for the players, but going forward it will be reduced to five minutes and 20 seconds
The Indian players were seen repeatedly experiencing cramps during India’s recent tour of England, which reportedly added to the frustration of the BCCI
“Now, a player at CoE is made to take a 2K test and Bronco test more frequently besides the Yo-Yo test, which burns out players. Earlier, it was about maintaining certain fitness marks for players without burning them out with fitness regimes, a
“Yo-Yo tests were designed to be taken in six months or if a player is coming back from injury. The other management had made notes of pressure points for each player and accordingly regulated the workload. Now, the players are just pushed to do extreme fitness programmes.”
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