Bidding to prolong his international career, Rohit Sharma is gearing up for his ODI comeback on Sunday in Australia, with more than just the bat doing the talking. Returning to the fold after being stripped of the captaincy tag of the 50-overs side, the 38-year-old Rohit has tended to his body, sporting a leaner and fitter physique ahead of the tour Down Under, 17 years since he first made headlines during the Tri-Series final against the Aussies.
Rohit’s close friend and former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar recently revealed that the India opener’s physical transformation was a result of questions being raised over his fitness on social media
“There were a lot of talks about him, putting on weight and a few images coming out at the airport. So it was all about changing all of that and in a lot of ways to be healthier, faster and fitter,” said Abhishek Nayar as quoted by Star Sports.
India held their first practice session in Perth on Thursday, where Rohit and Virat Kohli were seen batting together in the nets. The Mumbaikar also had an intense chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Nayar opined that Rohit will continue to sport a similar style with the bat as he has in the past, irrespective of whether the captain’s tag was linked to him or not.
“Whether he’s captain or not, that will never change the way he plays for this team and for his teammates,” said the former Team India assistant coach.
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
| ODIs | Dates | Venues | Time |
| 1st ODI | October 19 | Perth | 9:00 AM IST |
| 2nd ODI | October 23 | Adelaide | 9:00 AM IST |
| 3rd ODI | October 25 | Sydney | 9:00 AM IST |
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