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Athletes often talk about blocking outside noise, blocking social media. Somehow, the trolling does affecting many. However, it is up to the athlete on how he chooses to react. Over the last few years, Rohit Sharma is often criticised for his weight. Ahead of the Australia, during a long layoff after retiring from Tests, Rohit decided to work on his fitness.
Former India assistant coach and former Mumbai teammate, Abhishek Nayar helped Rohit on his weight loss journey. Nayar recalled how Rohit had a similar transformation in 2011 when his bulky photo was printed in the newspaper. Then, he revealed how Rohit was inspired after a photo of him claiming he was overweight after the Indian Premier League (IPL) went viral on social media. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach said that Rohit is very conscious about his public image.
"He did a similar transformation in 2011. Before that, there was a photo of him in a newspaper looking bulky. He is very particular about his image on social media. If a photo of him comes out with a circle and an arrow on his stomach, that inspires him," Nayar said on JioStar.
"A photo like that went viral after he returned from his holiday post the IPL. That photo claimed he was overweight. The discussion then was centred around what we needed to do. Yes, we wanted him to get fit for cricket, but he also thought about how people would visually perceive Rohit. Yes, he has to prolong his career and reach the 2027 World Cup. The first thing we wanted to do was transform him physically.”
Nayar surprised by Rohit’s quick transformation
Nayar said that he wasn’t sure that Rohit would lose 10 kg in three months. He feels that in-between tournaments, players lose consistency. He believes that a transformation like this would not have been possible in six months had Rohit been playing in tournaments.
"We targeted 10 kilograms (weight loss). Initially, I wasn't very confident that he would lose that much. We started out with a goal in mind, but we needed consistency in training and nutrition. When you have tournaments in between, you lose that consistency. But here, we had three uninterrupted months. What happened in three months here couldn't have happened in six," he said.
Underwhelming return for Rohit
Rohit made a lacklustre return to international cricket. He was undone by a back of the length delivery from Josh Hazlewood. From 14 balls, he could score just eight runs.
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