Rohit Sharma misses spending time with his teammates on and off the field but said that the Indian team members have been staying in touch with each other through video calls.

Speaking to football presenter Joe Morrison in a live chat conducted on La Liga’s Facebook page, Rohit revealed that the team has the bond of a family as they spend so much time with each other through the year owing to the constant travelling for tournaments.

“Yes I miss my teammates, hanging around with them also have some banter here and there because when you are playing together, from almost 365 days we are together for 300 days, we are playing, travelling together, so it’s like a family with all these guys. So the first thing I want to do is to catch up with all these guys and try hit some balls as soon as I can,” Rohit said.

Rohit said that he was eager to get back with the team as soon as he can, but also admitted that he could be one of the last ones to be able to rejoin training, given his home city Mumbai is the most affected in India by the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions that come along with it.

“In India, it is going to be different as certain parts of the country have been affected the most and certain parts which have not been affected a lot. So I am assuming that those places might open up a lot earlier than Mumbai, the city where I stay and which is the most infected. I feel the other guys will send me videos of catching up with each other a lot earlier than I do,” Rohit said.

Raring to go
Rohit had missed being part of the last of the team’s playing time before the lockdown began, as he had suffered a calf injury on the tour to New Zealand in January that had kept him out of action for a couple of months.

The stylish batsman admitted that he was ready to be back on the field again, starting with his fitness tests the week the lockdown was imposed, and will now need to do it all over again.

“Before the lockdown started, I was almost ready to play. That whole week was going to be my fitness test, but unfortunately, I had to push back on things. Once the lockdown is over I will go to the centre and give my fitness test, and after I pass my fitness test I will be able to resume playing with my team once again,” he added.

On a lighter note, Rohit also pointed out the difference between being constantly on the road and at team hotels as compared to being at home, where things are a lot more relaxed, and he can take a break mentally.

“Yes it’s nice to be in the team hotel where are teammates are around but when you are at home, you are at home, you are at ease without any pressure you are with your family, you and your kids feel like home, whereas when you are in the hotel, you are thinking about the game, thinking about the performance, thinking about the oppositions also what you want to do on the field that kind of the stuff so you are always thinking about something or the other and right now here I am not thinking about anything,” said Rohit.

“Now I am just thinking about which movies to watch, what TV show to catch on, is there any football games coming on the television or cricket games that are coming on television that’s all I’m thinking about right now,” he added.

‘Fans will be missed’  
When asked about how different would it be to play without fans in the stadiums for at least a while, Rohit said they would be missed, but this was a measure that had to be taken with safety and health in mind of everyone concerned.

“Fans are so important for any sporting events across the world. They make the sport look so glamorous, and right now, we will understand the importance of them not being there at least for a little while. At the moment safety of people is of utmost importance. Once those measures have been taken, then there can be an allowance of the fans to come to the stadium and watch the game. Safety is very important, and that will be taken into consideration before taking any measures,” the 33-year-old expressed.