Abhishek Nayar, former Indian cricketer and coach, has disclosed Rohit Sharma’s efforts to enhance his physical fitness following his exclusion from the ODI World Cup squad in 2011. Nayar emphasized that Sharma dedicated significant time to improving his conditioning in preparation for the Indian Premier League (IPL) that same year.
Because i trained heavily, while he relied more on skill, “We used to argue a lot. I would tell him, ‘Come on, let’s hit the gym,’ and he would say, ‘Leave it, I will score runs. There was nothing wrong with that mindset; fitness culture and the Virat Kohli phenomenon had not yet transformed Indian cricket. The turning point came when a news channel published his photo with a circle drawn around his belly. That image stuck in his mind,” Nayar spoke on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.
Nayar revealed Rohit decided to get a transformation heading into the IPL 2011, and he indeed had four-pack abs, the former India assistant coach stated. He transitioned into a white-ball legend and helped India win the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, apart from the 2023 ODI World Cup runners-up finish. “When the World Cup squad was announced and he was not selected, we were at his house.
IPL was scheduled to take place after about a month and a half, and he told me, ‘Nayar, whatever it takes in these six weeks, I need to enter the IPL with at least a four-pack. He expected to be picked. People may not believe it, but he entered that IPL with a four-pack. For him, skill was never the issue. It was always about fitness and using that to elevate his skill set,” he added. Rohit has been one of the greatest Indian batters and captains of all time.
Rohit was left disappointed after being left out of India’s squad for the victorious 2011 World Cup. Former India coach Abhishek, who was with Rohit in their early days, has revealed how the young Rohit worked on his fitness to transform into an elite player from a more innate skill player.
