Yo-Yo Test vs Bronco Test – Which one is tougher?

Published - 23 Aug 2025, 15:59 IST | Updated - 23 Aug 2025, 16:18 IST

Fitness has become non-negotiable in modern cricket, and especially for the Indian team. With players competing across formats and back-to-back tournaments, teams are looking for athletes who can recover quickly, sustain energy, and perform at their peak for a long time. For years, the Yo-Yo Test has been the gold standard for Team India’s fitness evaluation. However, under the guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir and strength and conditioning coach Adrian le Roux, India has introduced the Bronco Test, a rugby-style endurance drill for player fitness assessment. However, since the introduction, many have questioned which test is tougher, the Yo-Yo Test or the Bronco Test.

The Yo-Yo Test was introduced to Indian cricket in 2017 during Anil Kumble’s tenure as coach and soon became a selection benchmark under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. The assessment is based on interval running and recovery, designed to replicate the short bursts of action in cricket.

In this test, players shuttle between two cones placed 20 metres apart, running to the sound of beeps that get progressively faster. After each 40-metre run, they get a 10-second recovery period. A minimum score of 16.1 is mandatory for Indian cricketers, though teams like New Zealand demand levels as high as 20.1.

The Yo-Yo Test also measures how quickly a player can recover after intense sprints, which is important for long formats. Over the years, it has been both admired and criticized. Famous players like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina missed out on selection after failing to make it. Meanwhile, players like Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Manish Pandey had consistently shown impressive results.

Recently, the Indian team introduced the Bronco Test alongside the Yo-Yo Test and the 2-kilometre time trial. Popular in rugby and football, the Bronco Test is a high-intensity drill designed to check stamina, speed, and mental strength.

The test consists of shuttle runs at 20m, 40m, and 60m markers. Players run 60m and back, 40m and back, and 20m and back, counting as one set. To complete the test, five such sets are required, totaling 1,200 metres, ideally under six minutes. Unlike the Yo-Yo Test, there are no breaks or recovery periods.

This is to replicate similar intensity which are demanded in sports like rugby. Adrian le Roux, who rejoined the Indian team in 2025, recommended the test after noticing that Indian cricketers, especially fast bowlers, were spending more time in the gym and less time on running-based endurance. The Bronco is now being trialed at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and could soon become a standard fitness benchmark.

What is Bronco Test in cricket? All you need to know

The Bronco Test is generally considered tougher because it eliminates rest periods and pushes players into continuous high-intensity running. It demands not just physical endurance but also mental strength to keep going without recovery breaks. For cricketers, especially bowlers, it provides a closer measure of match fitness since it replicates long spells of exertion. On the other hand, the Yo-Yo Test is more cricket-specific, as the game itself is built on bursts of action with short recovery phases.