Rohit Sharma’s omission from the 2011 ODI World Cup led to a career-defining physical trasnformation.© AFP
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed how Rohit Sharma’s omission from the 2011 ODI World Cup led to a career-defining physical and mental transformation. Nayar recalled that after selectors left Rohit’s name out of the squad, the former India captain, instead of getting disheartened, decided to embrace high-level fitness. Nayar also pointed out that Virat Kohli, who later inspired a fitness revolution in Indian cricket, was still a slightly chubby youngster back then. Recalling their early days together, Nayar shared how Rohit evolved from relying purely on innate skill to embracing elite physical fitness.
“We used to argue a lot because I trained heavily, while he relied more on skill. 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 said on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan.
Nayar highlighted how overcoming the heartbreak of missing out on the 2011 World Cup squad laid the foundation for his shift into an elite performer.
“When the World Cup squad was announced and he was not selected, we were at his house. He expected to be picked. IPL was scheduled to 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.’ 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.
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