Rohit Sharma recently won the Champions Trophy 2025
Fitness standards in cricket saw an uptick in the 21st century as the exposure to various areas of sports medicine increased due to various factors. While some players had raised their level in order to aid their game, the advent of T20s and the game becoming faster as a result pushed teams to take fitness seriously.
Indian cricket, which was chiefly known for their gifted batters and spinners until then, benefited greatly as their fielding and pace-bowling reserves improved. Players also started to take fitness and diet seriously along with treating injury recovery with equal care. Virat Kohli’s promotion to the captaincy also made Yo-Yo Test mandatory for players no matter their form.
There are still anomalies in cricket, which still remains a skill-oriented sport with peak physical fitness acting as an amplifier. India’s ODI skipper Rohit Sharma was and is believed by many to belong to that category with many targeting his waist line as a reason for his dwindling performances in Test cricket before his recent retirement.
ALSO READ:
However, since 2021 Rohit has played 100 matches across all formats and all competitions which former India strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai said was proof that he never neglected fitness unlike his critics’ beliefs.
“People assume Rohit doesn’t work hard on his fitness. Given his history, for him to lead at the highest level for four years with a game or two missed is significant. He cannot do that by fluke, right? He must be doing something right. Can he get better? Yes, 100%. He will be the first one to say that. But to assume that he doesn’t work hard is a bit much,” Desai told Indian Express in an interview.
Desai also heaped praise on Virat Kohli as a ‘model athlete’ for keeping himself in top shape for a long time.
“Both Rohit and Virat had the same team vision—to dominate world cricket —they approached it differently,” he said about the stalwarts’ individual approach.
Kohli and Rohit, who won three ICC trophies each, announced their retirement from T20Is last year soon after they won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. Both the former skippers announced their retirement from Test cricket during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
