‘Put 4 Men on Rohit, Make Him Run 10 Km Every Day’ – Rohit Sharma Receives Fitness Advice to Stretch his ODI Career

Former India cricketer Yograj Singh has come out strongly in defense of Rohit Sharma, praising the Indian ODI captain’s class while bluntly suggesting that his fitness needs to be pushed to the extreme if he is to prolong his career.

Rohit’s last international appearance came in March when he scored a match-winning 76 off 83 balls in the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand. That knock not only earned him the Player of the Match award but also silenced those questioning his relevance in ODIs.

Yograj Singh, however, believes the opener can play at the highest level for at least five more years — but only if he takes fitness as seriously as his batting.

“The man about whom so many people speak rubbish, Rohit Sharma, I said that day Rohit will be my man, the man, my man. The way he batted, his innings on one side and the rest of the world on the other. That’s his class,” Yograj told News18 CricketNext.

“You can say, ‘Rohit, aapki hume 5 saal aur zarurat hai yaar’ (Rohit, we need you for five more years, man). 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,” he added.

Known for his no-nonsense approach, Yograj didn’t spare those who have been critical of Rohit’s fitness.

“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.

Rohit’s uncertain future in ODIs

Despite his Champions Trophy heroics, Rohit’s long-term future in ODIs remains under the spotlight. With bilateral ODI cricket slowly losing relevance, reports suggest both Rohit and Virat Kohli could step away from the format after the Australia series later this year.

The BCCI is also considering making senior players participate in domestic white-ball tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which could play a role in the duo’s decisions.