Rohit Sharma will be in action for India in upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.
Ex-India strength and conditioning (S&C) coach Soham Desai has talked about Rohit Sharma’s fitness and also revealed that the former captain suffered a career-threatening injury in 2017. Rohit Sharma is nearing the end of his ODI career, and he is determined to represent India at next year's World Cup.
Yet at 39, beyond his batting form, the former captain's match fitness is also under continuous examination, with a recent series of fitness worries sparking doubts.
However, Soham Desai has revealed that Rohit has continued to put in the hard yards to keep himself match-ready. He also talked about a career-threatening hip injury in 2017 that has mandated him to keep a specific strength training and running routine to keep his fitness at the optimum level to sustain his career.
Soham also took a shot at the perception that Rohit is ‘lazy’ or does not train hard enough.
“So, people say this: Rohit is lazy, mota hai (he’s fat), and training nahi karta hai (doesn’t train). "People need to understand this: Rohit Sharma had a career-threatening injury around his hip in 2017—Champions Trophy jab hum log hare the Pakistan ke samne final, wo wali mein (during the Champions Trophy 2017). So, he has had surgeries on his hamstring and his hip flexor and all that," Soham said on the Prashant Desai podcast.
Soham notes that although almost ten years have passed since that injury, Rohit's hip is still a weak spot, and keeping up a steady strength-training regimen is essential for controlling the danger of another injury.
Soham points out that skipping these sessions might place the batter in jeopardy.
“Around his hip is his weak spot. If he doesn’t train for a minimum of two strength sessions in a week, he is a red flag; he is a ticking bomb. And that is the scenario for the last seven to eight years. So, if he was not working hard, if he was lazy, he wouldn’t have lasted till today.
Forget about scoring runs, leading (in) the IPL, and playing twelve months in all formats. For the last seven or eight years, it has been non-negotiable. Either he has to do that, or he has to work in a particular manner on the ground. Without those two, he cannot last, and this is not a secret. It is in the public domain," Soham added.
Soham Desai also talked about the different training schedules of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He emphasized that Rohit's training regimen is customized to meet his particular physical needs, centering on strength, explosiveness, and reactivity.
Soham drew a comparison with Virat Kohli, who is broadly celebrated for his exceptional fitness, and clarified that the two players require different training approaches.
“Rohit is very strength-based and very explosive and reactive-based. And Virat almost never runs in comparison because he doesn’t need to. His (Kohli’s) work comes from the ground, and he only does lifting and basic strength work when it comes to training. Whereas for him (Rohit), because of his injury history, if he doesn’t do strength—a particular manner of strength—then he’s going to be creating that gap bigger and bigger. And also, he needs to do his basic running work to keep his hamstrings, quads, and everything in good rhythm," Soham said.
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