Rohit Sharma’s fitness journey had a surprising turning point after he was left out of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup squad. Former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed how one news report about Rohit Sharma’s body became a turning point for the star batter.

Following the report, Rohit took his fitness much more seriously. Rohit was left out of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup squad, which hurt him badly. But that disappointment also pushed him to make a big change in his fitness, something that later helped him become one of India’s biggest white-ball stars. Earlier, Rohit Sharma addressed his ODI World Cup future.

One news report changed Rohit Sharma’s mindset about fitness

Rohit Sharma was not very interested in spending a lot of time in the gym at that time. He trusted his batting ability and felt that his skills could take care of things. However, Abhishek Nayar was very serious about fitness, and they often had arguments about it.

Nayar trained hard, while Rohit was more focused on his batting. Then a news channel showed a picture of Rohit with a circle around his belly. That image really impacted Rohit and made the Hitman think seriously about his fitness.

Abhishek Nayar said on The Great Indian Cricket Show, "We used to argue a lot because I trained heavily, while he relied more on skill. I would tell him, 'Come on, let's hit the gym,' and he would say, 'Leave it, I will score runs.' There was nothing wrong with that mindset; fitness culture and the Virat Kohli phenomenon had not yet transformed Indian cricket. The turning point came when a news channel published his photo with a circle drawn around his belly. That image stuck in his mind.”

Rohit Sharma’s four-pack mission after 2011 World Cup snub

Rohit had a conversation with Nayar at his house after missing the 2011 World Cup. The IPL was only around six weeks away, and Rohit wanted to change himself as shared by Nayar. Amid this, He’s a match-winner: Rajkumar Sharma on Virat Kohli’s ICC ODI World Cup 2027 spot debate.

He set himself a target of entering IPL 2011 with at least a four-pack. Nayar later revealed that Rohit worked hard and managed to achieve it. Nayar further shared, “When the World Cup squad was announced and he was not selected, we were at his house. He expected to be picked.”

Nayar further said, “IPL was scheduled to take place after about a month and a half, and he told me, 'Nayar, whatever it takes in these six weeks, I need to enter the IPL with at least a four-pack. ' People may not believe it, but he entered that IPL with a four-pack. For him, skill was never the issue. It was always about fitness and using that to elevate his skill set.”

From 2011 snub to World Cup great: Rohit Sharma’s incredible rise

The change worked. Rohit went on to become one of India’s greatest white-ball batters and built a huge record in the World Cup. After missing the 2011 World Cup, he played in India’s next three ODI World Cups in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

The seasoned opener also holds the record for the most World Cup centuries, with seven, and is fourth on the list of the tournament’s highest run-scorers. However, he has now retired from T20Is in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025, but he continues to play ODIs for India.

Rohit has 20,427 runs in 514 international matches to his name. He is India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in international cricket.