With the first ODI between Australia and India in Perth less than 24 hours away from kickstarting, fans are hugely excited, especially by the returns of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. A fit and firing especially have the Indian fans' exhilarated as a before and after picture emerged on social media.
During the recent CEAT Cricket Awards held in Mumbai, the 38-year-old had stunned the fans with his transformation, working on his fitness With the right-handed batter looking as slim and fit as ever, fans are expecting him to get big runs in the upcoming ODI series in Australia. A good series Down Under will also go a long way in Rohit remaining in frame to play in the 2027 World Cup.
"It’s been a very structured three months for Rohit" - Abhishek Nayar
During a discussion on Star Sports, former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar elaborated about Rohit's fitness plan by stating:
"It’s been a very structured three months for Rohit. In the beginning, the obvious plan was to work on his fitness and make sure he could shed a few kilos. In the end, he shed more than just a few to get into proper shape, and then in the last five weeks, the entire focus has been around his match fitness."
Nayar revealed that Rohit did plenty of batting stimulations, keeping in mind the conditions he could face in Australia.
"As I said earlier, even though you’ve been playing international cricket for so long, you still want to be fully prepared when you return. So there were a lot of match simulations — in the initial days, he spent plenty of time in the nets, getting his rhythm back, regaining his batting fitness, and then it became all about match temperament. So, lots of match practice, lots of simulated match situations, trying to replicate the kind of conditions he will face."
The right-handed batter last played an ODI in Australia in 2019.
