• Source:JND
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India vs Australia ODI Series: Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has made a revelation on the reason behind Rohit Sharma's impressive weight transformation ahead of his return to the ODI team for the all-important Australia tour. India and Australia will face off in a three-match ODI series, starting on October 19, and it will be followed by five T20I matches.

Rohit, along with Virat Kohli, is all to make his first international appearance for India since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. Rohit will now be playing as a specialist batter as he was replaced as the ODI skipper by Shubman Gill.

Nayar, who's one of the closest friends of Rohit, said he has tried hard to be 'healthier, faster and fitter'. All eyes will be on Rohit and Virat, considering the talks around their ODI future. Notably, both the senior batters have already retired from the Test and T20I formats but have set their eyes on the ODI World Cup 2027.

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Rohit has stunned his fans in recent public appearances, looking fitter than ever. He was seen spending weeks in Mumbai working on his fitness with Nayar before even starting batting practice. Initially, it was reportedly considered Rohit's way of responding to reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is pondering moving on from him, but now, as per Nayar, it was much more personal.

"There were a lot of talks about him, putting on weight, and a few images coming out at the airport. So it was all about changing all of that and in a lot of ways to be healthier, faster, and fitter," Nayar was quoted as saying by Star Sports.

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At the age of 38, Rohit will now have to deal with the challenge of the lack of chances to play international cricket, but he will have to keep himself going with enough motivation.


Captaincy snub won’t change Rohit: Nayar

Nayar believes that the captaincy change within the ODI setup won't change anything for Rohit, as the veteran batter will be hungry as ever to come up with match-winning efforts.

"Whether he’s captain or not, that will never change the way he plays for this team and for his teammates," Nayar said.

 

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