New Delhi [India], April 3 (ANI): Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene lauded legendary cricketer Rohit Sharma for working on his fitness level, saying that 'Rohit wanted to get to a fitness level that he was comfortable with.'

Rohit Sharma played a brilliant knock of 78 off just 38 balls, smashing six sixes and six fours during the Mumbai Indians' (MI) match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday. Now a one-format player for India, the 38-year-old has placed strong importance on his fitness in the lead-up to the IPL. Notably, Rohit last featured in an international match during the India vs New Zealand ODI at Indore on January 18 this year.

Speaking ahead of MI's clash against DC on Saturday, Mahela Jayawardene credited Rohit Sharma for following a clear fitness plan and putting in consistent off-season training. He added that Rohit worked on his skills, participated in practice matches and simulations and was fully involved from the start of the team's camp despite not playing much competitive cricket before.

'Well, I think credit to him. He had a plan, a vision. A few of our guys who are in our setup were involved in this training that he wanted to do to get to a fitness level that he was comfortable with; he knew that he needed to do. Even though he hasn't played competitive cricket, he did quite a bit of skill work off-season whenever he had the time. And then he joined us on our day one camp, and we had a chat about how we wanted to start. We did a lot of simulations. We had quite a few practice matches that we played. So he was part of all that,' said Jayawardene.

Jayawardene said that despite lacking recent match practice, Rohit Sharma's experience and muscle memory keep him sharp, adding that he looked in excellent form while batting in the nets.

'For someone who has played the game for such a long time, it's in muscle memory, it's in how you wanted to go about and. They will react much better out there in the middle in situations, even though he didn't have competitive cricket behind him. I knew when I watched him batting in the nets that he was in pretty good nick,' the MI coach said.

Mahela Jayawardene said Rohit Sharma showed good hand speed and made a strong start in the IPL 2026, and hoped for the batter to continue performing.

'The hand speed was pretty good and how we wanted to approach and it was a good start for him, in the first game, and hopefully he can continue that,' said Jayawardene.

Mumbai Indians, currently sitting at fourth in the IPL 2026 standings after their win against KKR, will face off against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. (ANI)