IND vs SL | Rohit Sharma needs to focus on his form and fitness, opines Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan has remarked that Rohit Sharma needs to work on his form and fitness
|(BCCI)
Irfan Pathan has stated that Indian captain Rohit Sharma needs to work on his form and fitness keeping in mind the ODI World Cup to be held in India this year. Irfan further stated that the recent break from competitive action might help him to refresh and perform at his best with the bat.
After beating Sri Lanka in the T20I series at home, India are ready to take on the same opponents in a three-match ODI series. After missing action since the Bangladesh series, Rohit Sharma will return to captain the side at home. The team has been doing well in white-ball cricket but Rohitâs form and fitness has been an issue of concern, as evident by the fact that he missed 32 of 71 international fixtures the team played in 2022. He appeared only in two Test matches last year, missing the other five played by the national side.Â
Rohit also had a forgettable T20 World Cup campaign as he tallied only 116 runs. Reflecting on the issues faced by the Indian captain, Irfan Pathan opined that he needs to work on his fitness for the Indian team to succeed in the ODI World Cup this year.Â
"There is one thing about the captaincy, he is a fantastic captain of this team. He will manage this team very well and extremely easily but two things - he needs to give a lot of attention to his form and fitness," Irfan Pathan told Star Sports.
"When his form comes back, this Indian team which is getting ready for the 50-over World Cup, you will not get a more solid team than India, especially in these conditions where the World Cup is going to be played."
Rohit was out of action after sustaining a finger injury in the Bangladesh series. Due to the injury, he missed the ODIs against Bangladesh as well as the T20Is against Sri Lanka. The ace batter will now lead the side when India will take on Sri Lanka in the first ODI on January 10. Irfan believes that the time spent away from the game would Rohit come back fresh and get back to his usual best.Â
"He will come back refreshed. Hopefully, he will come with preparation. He will have to regularly pay attention to his fitness and form and he will do that. He is already a great player, there is no doubt about that,â Irfan explained.
