Asia Cup: After Bronco, a new drill introduced to test Indian cricketers in Dubai

TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: "Agar main dive maar raha hoon iska matlab main theek se move nahi kar raha (If I am diving it means, I am not moving and anticipating quickly)," quipped India all-rounder Hardik Pandya after missing a catch.

He was conversing with Team India fielding coach T Dilip, who had introduced a new drill for the Indian cricketers in the ongoing Asia Cup.

TimesofIndia.com has learnt that Dilip had come up with the idea to enhance the ability of Indian cricketers to cut the gaps in the field.



It is like a goalkeeper's drill. There was a goalpost-sized safety net put up by T Dilip far away from the batting nets. The task for each fielder was to protect their goal. And interestingly, the catching practice was being done with the new balls. The reason behind using the new ball for this drill was that it travels quickly.

Each player was taking two sets of five catches, and just like they bat in the nets, they were changing guards.

Hardik Pandya, after missing one, pulled off a stunner and immediately rushed to the fielding coach T Dilip and gave him a tight hug. The Indian all-rounder grabbed another blinder, which even left Shivam Dube impressed, who was watching the action from close quarters.

After Hardik, vice-captain Shubman Gill and Rinku Singh, fresh from completing their batting practice, joined the fielding coach.

Gill was outstanding. He took four full-stretched catches — two to his left and two to his right — and left Rinku and Dilip stunned. The fielding coach shouted, "You are making it a habit."

Meanwhile, Rinku Singh struggled in his first set but bounced back in the second with a little help from Gill, who guided his former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate, and then Rinku was off the blocks.

They were followed by Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma.

Abhishek's first question was, "Isn't it too big?" The fielding coach smiled and said: "You can pull it off easily." And Abhishek did pass the test with flying colours. So did Tilak. The duo gave each other a fist pump before moving on to other fielding drills.

Rinku wins a medal

The day started with all 15 Indian players divided into two groups.

Each group was given three targets to hit. One was a full stump, the second was a half stump and then there was a back roller. It was Shivam Dube who hit the first target but it was Rinku Singh who won the drill. He was later awarded a medal by the fielding coach T Dilip.

Bronco test settling down nicely

If you’re physically prepared, you can play more seasons. The systems we put in place also minimise the risk of injuries

Adrian Le Roux on the Bronco test

Team India’s strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux has shed light on the Bronco Test, the latest fitness assessment introduced for the players.

It looked like the players have started to adapt to the new fitness drill. Under the watchful eyes of Le Roux, the players were doing the 60-metre sprint and they were doing it four times to cover 240 metres by sprinting back and forth in a set sequence.

The Bronco Test, widely used in rugby, is designed to push players’ aerobic and cardiovascular capacity to the limit.

"We’ve now brought it into the team’s environment. It serves two purposes: we can use it as a training mechanism and also as a measurement. It gives us a clear picture of the players’ aerobic fitness and whether we’re moving in the right direction," Le Roux had told BCCI.TV recently.

"If you’re physically prepared, you can play more seasons. The systems we put in place also minimise the risk of injuries," he added.

India will take on Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.

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