"I am close to 500 games now for India internationally" - Rohit Sharma opens up on his fitness and longevity
Team India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma has siad that the fact that he has played international cricket for 17 years and is close to playing 500 games for India is proof of his fitness. The 37-year-old pointed out that not many players in the game have played as many matches as him.
Having made his international debut in 2007, Rohit is featuring in his 485th match for India in the ongoing Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. He has amassed 19,245 runs at an average of 43.15, with 48 hundreds and 106 fifties.
On Jitendra Chouksey's podcast, the seasoned batter shared his views on his fitness and longevity in the game:
"To play for 17 years and to play nearly.... I am close to 500 games now for India internationally," Rohit said. "Five hundred games, not a lot of cricketers globally have played. To have that longevity, there has to be something about your routine. How you manage your fitness, how you manage your mind and how you train yourself. And how do you get ready for the game, most importantly.
"At the end of the day, our job is to be 100 percent ready for the game and perform to win games. And then, if you go backwards then, in that preparation comes fitness," Rohit added.
The right-handed batter is fourth on the list of leading run-getters for India in international cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar (34,357), Virat Kohli (26,965) and Rahul Dravid (24,064) have scored more runs.
"I just felt it was the right time" - Rohit on T20I retirement
While Rohit has quit the T20I format, he has no plans to hang up his boots from the other two formats anytime soon. Sharing his thoughts on his T20I retirement, the opener explained that, having won the World Cup, he felt that it was the right time to move on.
"The only reason I retired from T20Is is because I've had my time. I enjoyed playing the format. Played for 17 years and did well. Having won the World Cup, this was the best time for me to decide that this now time for me to move on and then look after the other things. There are lot of good players who are there, who can do well for India. I just felt it was the right time," Rohit said.
The 37-year-old is the leading run-getter in the T20I format. In 159 matches, he scored 4,231 runs at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89, with five hundreds and 32 half-centuries.