Rohit And Kohli Told To Work ‘Twice As Hard’ Than When They Were 25: ‘If There’s Motivation…’ | Cricket News

Rohit Sharma (left) and Virat Kohli (AP Photo)

Age has caught up with India’s batting stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and the pair must put in double the effort than what they were doing when they were 25 in terms of match preparations, feels their former teammate and legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Rohit and Kohli made their competitive return during the first ODI between India and Australia last Sunday after nearly five months. However, Rohit managed 8, while Kohli was out for a duck in disappointing performances.

India went on to lose the rain-affected match by seven wickets as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Ashwin says planning will be key to their performances as they now only play one format, as it limits their match practice.

“When you go on an international tour, you have to plan ahead,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “My point is, the more you age, it gets harder. You have to work twice as hard. I saw Virat’s interview where he talked about fitness. Yes, it’s a very important facet, but the hand-eye coordination needed for batting – you can’t ignore that. You will have to train for that too.”

Rohit worked on his fitness in the lead-up to the comeback, reportedly shedding 10kgs in weight. “Everything kept aside, you have to be top of your game, especially when you are getting older and playing one format. It’s not easy, but lovely to see Rohit looking really, really fit. He was moving reasonably around the park. I just think that for the experienced players, if they just get the clock ticking, it becomes very, very easy. For their good, they can focus a little more on preparation, especially in terms of playing the game and going on tours a little earlier. But it’s not in the player’s hand. We all know that. It’s to be planned from the team’s management side. Let’s hope that happens,” Ashwin said.

There are questions over whether Rohit and Kohli, both in their mid-thirties, are part of India’s plans for the next ODI World Cup, which is still two years away.

Ashwin, though, feels age shouldn’t matter if a player is able to deliver.

“If a player is batting or bowling well, age should never be a factor. Sometimes, we end up passing opinions based on age, but I won’t read too much into that. But everybody knows, every player knows when your game has gone down a touch, when you are not feeling the same amount of motivation, when you are not able to recover the same way as a few years ago. You need to work twice as hard and for little. When you are 25 and train this much, the benefits are large, but when you are 35, closing in on 40, extensive training won’t give proportionate results. So, it cannot be easy,” he said.

“At the same time, if there is motivation, then the sky is the limit. It does get harder. It is hot under the roof. But the competitive spirit won’t die and keep telling us you can do anything. That’s why you find some cricketers extending their stay. It’s too early to talk about Rohit and Virat. There are a few more ODIs. My only worry about them is: Can they get more game time in between these ODI series? Because that’s only going to keep them in match form and keep going,” he added.