'Put four men on Rohit Sharma, make him run 10 kms every morning': Yograj Singh on how to improve ODI skipper's fitness

'Put four men on Rohit Sharma, make him run 10 kms every morning': Yograj Singh on how to improve ODI skipper's fitness (AP Photo)

Former India cricketer Yograj Singh has always been a voice for himself, and this time he did not hold back when he publicly defended Rohit Sharma, praising the ODI captain's poise and longevity while also criticizing his detractors. Given that ODIs are becoming less common in the international schedule, Rohit's future outings will be somewhat few as he has already retired from T20Is and Tests. But as long as he continues to push himself to the edge, Yograj thinks the star opener still has a lot to contribute.

In his most recent international appearance, Rohit led India to Champions Trophy victory in March, also winning Player of the Match for his 76 off 83 balls against New Zealand in the final.

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Yograj contended that the knock was sufficient evidence of Rohit's unparalleled skill in 50-over cricket. “The man about whom so many people speak rubbish, Rohit Sharma — I said that day that Rohit will be my man, the man, my man,” Yograj told News18 CricketNext.

“The way he batted, his batting one side and the rest of the team’s batting on the other side. His innings on one side and the rest of the world on the other. That’s his class. You can say, ‘Rohit, aapki hume 5 saal aur zarurat hai yaar’ (Rohit, we need you for five more years, man) so please do more for your country, work on your fitness and everything. Put four men on him, make him run 10 kilometres every morning. He has the class to play till 45 years of age, if he wants.”

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Never one to hold back, Yograj saved some of his harshest criticism for people who doubt Rohit's skill or fitness without having played elite cricket themselves. “I believe you should play domestic cricket; the more you play that, the fitter you’ll be. Who got the Man of the Match in the final? Rohit Sharma. So you should only talk about things that you know. If you want to talk about his game and fitness, do that only if you have played at some level. Do you feel ashamed for talking like this?” he said.

According to sources, both Rohit and Virat Kohli may think about leaving the ODIs following the forthcoming Australia series, even if there has been no formal confirmation on the duo's future. The decision might have been influenced by the BCCI's proposed rule allowing players to compete in domestic white-ball competitions, such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the case of the two.

Rohit is still the Indian ODI team's captain as of right now.