Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev, who led the nation to its’s first World Cup title in 1983 has questioned Rohit Sharma’s fitness once again. Dev feels that Rohit is a ‘great’ batter, but he looks ‘overweight’.
Comparing Rohit’s fitness to that of former Indian captain Virat Kohli, Kapil felt that there was still room for improvement.
Speaking to ABP News, the legendary all-rounder didn’t mince his words, going on to highlight why it’s important for a captain to maintain his fitness.
Kapil Dev also added that while Rohit’s record as captain has been great, he could take some inspiration from his compatriot, Kohli, who has still maintained his fitness.
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“It is very important for any player to be fit. More so for a captain. It’s a shame if you are not up to the mark as far as fitness levels are concerned. Rohit needs to put some hard work on his fitness,” said the 1983 World Cup-winning captain ahead of the third Test between India and Australia.
“Rohit is a great batter but when you talk about his fitness levels, he looks a bit overweight, at least on TV. Yes, I realise it’s different when you look at someone on TV and in real life. But from whatever I see, Rohit is a great player and a great captain, but he needs to get fit,” Dev added.
He further continued, “Look at Virat, whenever you see him, you say, ‘that’s some fitness!'”
This is not the first Kapil has raised concerns about Rohit’s fitness, having highlighted the issue last month as well.
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The legendary cricketer claimed that while there was no doubting the current Indian opener’s cricketing ability, there was a ‘huge question mark’ on his fitness.
“I can say with surety that there is a huge doubt over Rohit’s fitness. He has faced a lot of criticism for not scoring well since he became the captain. I kind of agree with it but I don’t believe there is any issue with his cricketing skills,” Kapil stated.
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy tenure, India reached the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2022, and while they exit the Asia Cup last year early, the Men in Blue have dominated the ICC rankings, sitting pretty at the top in T20I and ODI formats.
Having taken a 2-0 lead in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023, Rohit’s side look well on their way to take over the number 1 ranked Test team crown from Australia, should they beat the visitors in the third Test in Indore.
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A win at the Holkar Stadium would also guarantee India a place in the final of the World Test Championship, which will take place in June at the Oval in London.
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