'Has the class to play till 45' - Yograj Singh slams Rohit Sharma fitness critics
Yograj strongly defended Rohit's by blasting his critics and shed light on his class as a batter.
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Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh has come down hard on Rohit Sharma's critics and believes that the latter has the finesse to play till the age of 45. Rohit has already retired from T20Is and Tests, which makes the 50-over cricket being the only format he features in currently.
To explain the importance of the veteran opening batter in the national ODI side, Yograj drew attention towards the 76-run match-winning knock Rohit played during the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand. With the ability to perform on the biggest stage, Yograj feels that Rohit has the capacity to play for at least five more years in the international circuit.
“The man about whom so many people speak rubbish, Rohit Sharma — I said that day that Rohit will be my man, the man, my man. The way he batted (referring to his POTM performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy final), his batting one side and the rest of the team’s batting on the other side. That’s his class. You can say, Rohit, aapki hume paanch saal aur zarurat hai yaar (Rohit, we need you for five more years, man)," stated Yograj while speaking to News18's CricketNext.
Put four men on Rohit, make him run 10 km daily: Yograj's advice
The 67-year-old urged Rohit to enhance his fitness levels by participating in domestic cricket. The former pace bowler, who now coaches at his private cricket academy, concluded by issuing a stern word for the media to not criticize a player of the Indian ODI skipper's calibre.
"So please, do more for your country, work on your fitness and everything. Put four men on him, make him run 10 kilometres every morning. He has the class to play till 45 years of age, if he wants. I believe you should play domestic cricket; the more you play that, the fitter you’ll be. Who got the Player of the Match in the final? Rohit Sharma. So, you should only talk about things that you know," the former India cricketer added.
WATCH: Rohit's retirement blooper after CT 2025 finale win
India and Rohit will next play an ODI during their white-ball series against Australia Down Under. Rohit, who last played for the Men in Blue in March, will be expected to feature for the team in October later this year. If picked, the first match of the series will mark a huge milestone in the Nagpur-born's career, as it will be the 500th match of his international career.
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