KOCHI: What is common between Virat Kohli, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rohan Kunnummal? While the likes of Kohli and Ronaldo are legends in the game Rohan does share the lowest fat percentages with them. And Rohan is a shining example of how an emphasis on physical fitness can transform you and take your game to the next level.
From a skinny and injury-prone youngster to becoming the leading run-scorer for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy this season, Rohan is the face of a fitness revolution at the Kerala cricket team led by head coach Tinu Yohannan and Vyshakh Krishna who is the strength and conditioning coach.
“Focus on fitness has had a massive impact on my game. My strength used to be very low, but now, even in the multi-day formats, I can bat with a freshness even after fielding for two days. I did a lot of work during the off-season after the first lockdown in 2020. I worked closely with Vyshakh and followed a regime which has helped me perform like this. Cricket or any other sport is now heavily-fitness based. I can also field better now,” said Rohan who had created history this season by becoming the first Kerala cricketer to smash three consecutive centuries in Ranji Trophy, and finished with an impressive 417 runs.
Even star cricketer Sanju Samson had singled him out for praise for his fielding performances this season in the limited overs cricket. Vyshakh opines the match load for cricketers is very high these days.
“Especially this season, with very little time between matches and tournaments and being in bio-bubbles, the need to be fit became even more crucial. After working on fitness, Rohan has managed to deliver strong performances in almost every match,” he says.
Ever since Tinu (Yohannan) took over, I came on board and we have been giving a lot of focus on the fitness of the players and monitoring them 365 days a year. We have also kept mandatory fitness tests for our players and seeing Rohan’s transformation, the other players, especially youngsters, are now giving fitness serious attention and dedication,” he adds.