India’s form has cratered marred by a disastrous UK tour that included a shocking 2-0 T20I sweep against Ireland and subsequent series defeats against England. Compounding these on-field struggles, a barrage of injuries has repeatedly disrupted squad stability. Prompted by declining performances and frequent physical breakdowns, the BCCI is taking a hardline stance on conditioning, directing the medical staff at the Bengaluru Centre of Excellence (CoE) to roll out rigorous, standardized testing protocols to guarantee authentic match-fitness.
BCCI's tough call on Team India's fitness protocols
The administrative crackdown follows visible lapses in physical endurance, underscored by widespread player cramping and sluggishness during the England series. As per a TOI report, the team management grew increasingly concerned over senior players struggling with basic running between the wickets and displaying reduced mobility in the field over long stretches.
These observations led the BCCI to directly confront head physio Kamlesh Jain, delivering an unequivocal directive to disregard star stature. Jain has been instructed to act without bias and immediately flag any athlete, regardless of high profile or veteran status—who fails to hit the mandated benchmarks.
Under the outgoing framework, fitness evaluations were highly customized, creating lenient targets that effectively allowed senior players to clear tests under relaxed conditions. That compromised system is now being abolished in favor of unyielding, uniform standards across the entire roster.
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Bronco test gets tougher and tougher, no exemption for senior players
Moving forward, a single standard will apply uniformly to the entire squad. Led by strength and conditioning coach Adrian Leroux, the rigorous Bronco test—which replaced the iconic Yo-Yo test as India's primary conditioning metric, is set to become even more demanding. To earn selection, every cricketer must now finish the grueling Bronco shuttle drill within a strict time window of 5:15 to 5:20 minutes, while also completing a 2-kilometer timed run between 9 and 10 minutes.