Workload management could go on to become an issue for Rohit Sharma too, now that he’s India’s all-format captain.
Injuries have forced Rohit, 34, to be on the sidelines quite frequently since India’s tour of Australia late in 2020-21. After he was named India’s regular white-ball captain following last year’s T20 World Cup, Rohit missed the home Tests versus New Zealand and the entire South Africa tour owing to a hamstring injury.
Rohit has looked fit though since his comeback during the ODI series versus the West Indies earlier this month. Importantly, he’s looking forward to deal with this subject of workload with a clear mind and is open to giving himself as well as his teammates some time away from the game if the need arises.
“I’m very clear in my mind as to how I want to take this forward,” Rohit said on the eve of the first T20I versus Sri Lanka in Lucknow.
“Obviously, managing the workload, not just for me but for everyone, will be the key going forward. We have already seen a lot of injuries within our squad, so we have just got to be very careful with what we do with individuals and how we rotate them and how we give them the time that they need away from the game.
“We’re trying to manage that and put a roadmap in place as to how we want to move forward.”
As for his own fitness, Rohit added: “As far as I’m concerned, there are no issues at the moment. I’m looking forward to playing all the games.
“Workload always depends on what happens thereafter. You take it day by day and understand what you need to do. If there’s an opportunity for you to take a break, you’ll take it and look at another guy who fills in and what sort of potential he has.”
Grooming youngsters
As chief selector Chetan Sharma said last Saturday, the national selection committee wants Rohit to play an important role in grooming the youngsters of the squad. “Well, I won’t have that much of a role to tell them everything,” the 34-year-old said, when asked about this aspect.
“Obviously, they are all mature cricketers, but it’s just that someone needs to be around to help them and guide them in difficult situations. And I’ll be more than happy to do that. That’s how we’ve grown into the role.
“We were groomed by someone else, so it’s a natural process. Everyone goes through this and we are no different here.”
According to Rohit, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant too are looked up to as “leaders” by the youngsters. “If you talk of Bumrah, KL and Pant, all these guys have a big role to play in India’s success. They are also looked up to as leaders. They do understand what they need to do as individuals.
“At the same time, they realise there’s a responsibility on their shoulders. So we don’t want to put any pressure on these guys because they are critical to us. At the moment, we just want them to enjoy their game, come out freely and execute their skills,” Rohit emphasised.
