“Don’t blame the system, look at yourself” – Brad Hogg’s blunt message to Rohit Sharma and Co.
Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has given a sharp reply to Indian captain Rohit Sharma after the latter criticized injuries in the Indian cricket team. He feels it’s up to players to follow the discipline instead of blaming the system.
Speaking on his Instagram handle, Hogg said:
“If you want the gold, you want the riches, you’ve got to do the dirty work, have the discipline. That’s watching what you eat and the exercises that you do and the amount of work you’ve got to do to prepare for the next tournament.”
He added:
“For example - If you are playing in the T20 tournament and you know that you have got a Test match coming up two weeks later, you’ve got to bowl more overs at training to make sure your workloads are up. Don’t blame the system, look at yourself.”
For the uninitiated, Rohit Sharma vented his anger with Team India’s increasing pile of injured players. He was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying:
“There are definitely a few injury concerns. We need to try and get to the bottom of it. It is something we have to look at. We have to sit with our team back home at the NCA as well and try and monitor their workload.”
The statement came after Deepak Chahar suffered a hamstring injury in the second ODI against Bangladesh. He could only bowl three overs. Earlier in the day, Kuldeep Sen complained of back stiffness and was ruled out of the game.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup due to injuries. They also missed the white-ball tours of New Zealand and Bangladesh.
“It’s up to the player to take control of his body” – Hogg on Rohit Sharma and Co.
Hogg further accepted that players' workloads have risen due to the packed calendar, but it’s the players’ responsibility to take control of their bodies.
“A lot of injuries happening in the world of cricket. You can blame the calendar. The games played or the days spent by the player in the middle are no different from a soccer player. Also, you have different formats that cause a few issues as well, which it does. End of the day it’s up to the player to take control of his body.”
@BCCI Team India injury list
Rohit Sharma - injured
Mohammad Shami - injured
Deepak Chahar - Injured
Kuldeep Sen - Injured
Rishabh Pant - Injured
Jasprit Bumrah - Injured
Ravindra Jadeja - Injured
It’s worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma has also been added to the injury list. He suffered a finger injury against Bangladesh in the second ODI. KL Rahul-led Team India will play a dead rubber against the hosts on Saturday, December 10.