Sunil Gavaskar questioned the Bronco Test as a selection tool for India, saying players’ bodies differ and a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t ideal, as fitness needs vary by role and mental strength remains crucial for top-level performance.
Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has refused to endorse the new fitness test, the Bronco Test, for Indian cricketers as a criterion for selection to the national team across all formats of the game. Ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, contracted Indian players underwent fitness tests at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
The Yo-Yo Tests were mandatory for Indian players to ensure their endurance and overall fitness levels, ensuring they meet the physical standards required to play at the international level. However, it was reported that certain players, including ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, tried their hand at the Bronco Test as an additional fitness challenge.
The Bronco Test is a Rugby-style fitness drill designed to assess a player’s speed, agility, and aerobic endurance through repeated shuttle runs over a set distance within a limited time. The new fitness test, which was suggested by India’s strength and conditioning coach Adrian le Roux, is currently on a trial basis.
‘Every person’s body is different’
As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to officially introduce the Bronco Test, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar cautioned the board from making it a mandatory selection criterion, stating that every player’s body is different and may respond differently to intense fitness drills.
“While it is fine to have these tests to get a general idea of where a player needs to strengthen their body, having them decide selection to the national team is a tad too much,” the 125-Test veteran wrote in his Sportstar column.
“Every person’s body is different, so having one standard for everybody in the squad is well-nigh impossible. There has to be consideration given to the player’s speciality and allowances made for that.
“For example, a wicketkeeper, who is constantly on the move the whole day, requires a different fitness level than the others. The fast bowlers will be different from the spinners, though the spinners will invariably bowl as many, if not more, overs in the day than them. The batters will need a different kind of fitness. As you can see, there is no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. As long as this is taken into account and the strict parameters of the new test are not followed rigidly, then it is fine,” he added.
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The Bronco Test is much different from the Yo-Yo Test, where the players focus primarily on aerobic endurance through shuttle runs. In a Rugby-style fitness drill, a player will start off with a 20-metre shuttle run, followed by a 40-metre and a 60-metre run, which adds up to one set.
Gavaskar questions authorities for bringing the Bronco Test
Further speaking about the Bronco Test, the batting legend questioned the authorities who decided to bring the Bronco Test, adding that the Technical committee members, set up by the Justice Lodha Panel, used to take such decisions.
“A new fitness test has been introduced that players must pass before being considered for selection to the national team. It is not known who takes these decisions, as there is no longer a cricket committee in the BCCI,” Gavaskar wrote.
“Earlier, before the Justice Lodha panel’s recommendations, a Technical Committee used to make decisions on cricketing matters, which, of course, had to be ratified by the all-powerful working committee and then approved at the Annual General Meeting,” he added.
Before the Bronco Test, the mandatory fitness Tests were the 2-Km trial and the Yo-Yo Test. In the 2-km trail, the fast bowlers will have to complete the run in 8 minutes and 15 seconds, while wicketkeepers, batters, and spinners are expected to complete it in 8 minutes and 30 seconds, making it a standard measure of their aerobic capacity and endurance.
In the Yo Yo Test, the players will have to run between marks placed 20 metres apart by increasing their speed, with a 10-second break in between each 40-metre. In the Yo Yo Test, the players will have to achieve a score of 17.1 or above to meet the national team’s fitness benchmark.