Former India strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai has revealed that Rohit Sharma suffered a career-threatening hip injury in 2017. Desai also defended the former India captain against criticism of his fitness, saying his ability to play at the highest level for so many years shows the work he has put in behind the scenes.
Speaking on a podcast with Prashant Desai, Soham explained that Rohit underwent surgeries involving his hamstring and hip flexor. The injury came after India’s defeat to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final in England in 2017.
“So people say this Rohit is lazy, mota hai (that he’s fat), training nahi karta hai (that he doesn’t train). People need to understand this: that Rohit Sharma had a career-threatening injury around his hip in 2017, Champions Trophy jab hum log hare the Pakistan ke samne final, wo wali mein. So he has got surgeries in his hamstring and his hip flexor and all that,” Soham said.
Rohit has faced criticism over his fitness on social media over the years. However, Desai, who worked with the Indian team for nearly five years, said the batter has had to follow a strict fitness routine to manage his injury problems.
Rohit Sharma’s fitness routine
Desai explained that Rohit’s hip remains a weak area and requires regular strength training. He said the India batter needs to complete at least two strength sessions every week to manage the risk of further problems.
“Around his hip is his weak spot. If he doesn’t train for a minimum of two strength sessions in a week, he is a red flag, he is a ticking bomb. And that is the scenario for the last seven to eight years,” he said.
Desai added that Rohit would not have continued playing across formats if he had not worked hard on his fitness.
“So if he was not working hard, if he was lazy, he wouldn’t have lasted till today. Forget about scoring runs, leading in the IPL, playing twelve months, all formats,” he added.
The former coach also compared Rohit’s training routine with that of Virat Kohli. He said Rohit relies more on strength, explosive movements and regular running because of his injury history, while Kohli’s training approach is different.
Desai also said Rohit’s improved fitness was partly down to having more time to manage his routine after retiring from Test and T20I cricket.
Rohit recently scored 32, 102 and 92 in India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies. He is expected to return for India’s five-match ODI tour of New Zealand, beginning November 4.