“Bronco Test Is Pure Torture!” – AB de Villiers Warns Indian Players
AB de Villiers warns Indian players after BCCI replaces Yo-Yo test with tough Bronco test, as Ashwin raises injury concerns.
The BCCI has made a big change in its fitness programme for cricketers. The much-talked-about Yo-Yo test has been dropped, and in its place comes the Bronco test, a new drill that demands repeated sprints of 20, 40, and 60 metres.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has warned Indian players about how tough this test can be. He admitted he didn’t recognise the term at first, but once it was explained to him, he knew it all too well.
“I was unaware of the term, but I knew what it was when the team explained it. I started doing it when I was 16 years old. It is called the sprint repeat ability test in South Africa,” de Villiers said.
The format requires players to complete shuttle runs of 20m, 40m, and 60m five times in a row, which totals 1200 metres. The key is to finish it as fast as possible without breaks, pushing both speed and stamina to the limit.
AB de Villiers recalls the pain
De Villiers said the test drained him every time. “It is one of the worst you can do. I can recall going for it at SuperSport Park in winter, with less oxygen. The altitude over here is 1500 meters above sea level. The lungs would burn out due to less oxygen,” he recalled.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also questioned the decision. He believes a sudden change in training methods could risk injuries for players who are used to a different style of conditioning.
The Bronco test may help the selectors and trainers measure endurance in a new way, but with concerns coming from both past players and current voices, it remains to be seen how Indian cricketers will cope with this latest challenge.
