Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has called for a balanced approach to the use of the newly introduced Bronco test in Indian cricket. He believes that while fitness assessments can be helpful, they should not decide whether a player is fit to represent the country. According to him, every cricketer’s body is unique and fitness requirements must be adjusted to suit their roles on the field.
The Bronco test is a demanding running drill, considered tougher than the YoYo test that was used earlier. Unlike the YoYo test which allows brief recovery periods, the Bronco involves continuous running designed to push a player’s endurance to the limit. Although it has not yet been formally implemented, reports suggest that the YoYo test was still used in recent fitness checks for India’s men cricketers ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup. The Bronco, however, is expected to be phased in gradually.
Writing in his column for a sports magazine, Sunil Gavaskar stressed that fitness tests should only serve as a guide to highlight areas where players need to work harder. He warned against using them as strict benchmarks for selection. “Every player’s body is different,” he explained, pointing out that imposing one rigid standard across the squad would be unfair. In his view, selectors and trainers must recognise individual strengths and limitations, tailoring expectations to the specific roles players perform in the team.
Sunil Gavaskar further went on to say that true commitment cannot be measured by a stopwatch or distance covered in a test. For him, what matters most is a player’s mental strength and their passion for representing India. He argued that the desire to serve Indian cricket, combined with determination and resilience, is a better measure of readiness than any running drill.
In his words, the ultimate test lies “between the ears and in the heart”. He suggested that a cricketer who plays with full dedication to Indian cricket will always be the right fit for the national side, regardless of how they score in fitness routines.
Well, Sunil Gavaskar indeed makes sense, what do you say?
