Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed optimism about having a fully fit squad ahead of the five-match Test series against England. Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Rohit highlighted the importance of managing player fitness during the Indian Premier League (IPL). “We need some of these guys to be 100 per cent fit. We just have to make sure they come out of the IPL really well. This is the most challenging one — I know it’s only four overs, but you play today, you travel tomorrow, and then you play again. That’s the tough part, because you’re travelling all across the country and playing so many games,” Rohit said, given the demanding schedule of the IPL.

He specifically mentioned the importance of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami staying injury-free, saying that a fully fit team would give India a great chance of success in the series.

“I hope that these two guys, along with the others, finish the IPL without any concerns. If we have a fully fit team going to England, we’ll have a great series there,” said Rohit.

Rohit acknowledged the intense level of international cricket being played and the challenges that come with it. “The kind of cricket these guys are playing these days — it’s going to be a good challenge for us,” he added.

India’s last series win in England came back in 2007 under captaincy of Rahul Dravid by 1-0. Since then, their last Test series in England ended in a 2-2 draw back in 2022 after India played the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah, after initially leading the series 2-1 under Virat Kohli.

India’s England tour of five Test will kickstart on June 20 at Leeds with the first Test.

Rohit has been India’s most prolific run-getter in World Test Championship (WTC) history with 2,716 runs in 40 Tests at an average of 41.15 with nine centuries and eight fifties.