The new Bronco Test won’t decide if veteran stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play. They are gearing up to join the Indian team for the Australia tour later this year. Right now both are only playing in ODI’s.
There was a time in Indian cricket when the yo-yo test made or broke careers. When Virat Kohli was captain, if a player didn’t pass the yo-yo test they were out of the team no matter how big a star they were. BCCI had set the bar at 16.5.
Yo-yo test checked speed and endurance. Players had to run back and forth to a timer, running about 1,200 meters in 6 minutes or almost 2 kilometers in 12 minutes. This test measured a player’s endurance, stamina and how well they could recover. For years the yo-yo test was the benchmark for a player’s fitness.
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But over time folks started questioning the test. Everyone’s body is different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Some thought the yo-yo test was too hard and didn’t really show the whole picture of someone’s fitness so they say the numbers dropped.
Now the BCCI has brought in the Bronco Test, a fitness test borrowed from rugby. It’s way harder than the yo-yo test. Unlike the yo-yo test where players get a little break between sprints the Bronco keeps you running nonstop at a certain speed and distance. It’s made to see how long a player can push themselves before they can’t take it anymore. Many trainers think it’s a great test because it really shows how much endurance a player has.
So what happens if a player doesn’t pass the yo-yo or Bronco test? A journalist said players won’t be dropped from the team just for failing these tests. That means Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are safe. They will still be in the running even if their scores aren’t great. Instead the scores will show where they are physically, how fit they are and what they need to work on.
Actually some of the fittest Indian cricketers have been struggling with the yo-yo test lately. These are players the journalist considers super fit. He said the fitness tests aren’t about pass or fail anymore for the Indian cricket team.There might be a target score but it’s not used to pick the team. The Bronco Test is about how consistent you are, how hard you try and how well you can keep your body in shape for long seasons of international cricket.
So if a player fails the yo-yo or Bronco they’re not out. It just means they need to train harder, get in better shape and prove they can handle the pressure. These tests are now a way to measure discipline, not the only thing that matters when picking the team.
