Former Indian cricketer and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed that Rohit Sharma’s viral airport photos motivated him to become healthier and fitter. Rohit will return to international cricket after a long seven-month hiatus and has toiled hard before his comeback as he dropped a lot.
During his time away from the game, Rohit has been training intensively with Abhishek Nayar and working on his game and fitness. Recently, Nayar revealed how Rohit wanted to change the narrative about his fitness, which became a topic of discussion during Champions Trophy 2025.
“There was a lot of talk about him putting on weight and a few pictures of him coming out of the airport. So it was about changing all that and a lot of ways to be healthier, faster and fitter,” Nayar told Star Sports.
He also mentioned how he wants to use the time before the Australian series to work on his physical structure and be more agile in the field.
“I think we realized initially that it was 12 weeks before the Australian series, so the idea was to do something different. Because we had time to focus not just on retention, but on growth. Growth in terms of his physical structure, his movement, the way he looked, the way he looked in the mirror and to be in a place where he felt fit, faster and even with the bat on the field,” he added.
Rohit Sharma was named the man of the match in his last appearance for India during the Champions Trophy 2025 final. The opening batsman scored 76 (83), smashing seven fours and three sixes to help his team chase down 252 in 49 overs.
He also has a phenomenal record in ODIs in Australia, having scored 1328 runs from 30 innings at an average of 53.12 with five centuries and four fifties. Rohit will be eager to continue his golden run down the stretch as he has become a better version of himself.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
October 17, 2025
