Former India captain Rohit Sharma thinks Test cricket is both “challenging and draining” but he learnt to cope with its demands by focusing on the preparation.

The 38-year-old, who averaged 40.58 for his 4301 runs in 67 Tests, retired from the longest format in May ahead of the team selection for the five-Test tour of England.

At a CEAT event in Mumbai on Monday, Rohit spoke on his preparations during a panel discussion. This was the first instance he spoke about his love for Test cricket since quitting in the middle of the IPL.

“It is something that you prepare for, because the game demands longevity,” he said. “Especially in the Test format, you have to last for five days. Mentally, it is very challenging and it is draining as well. But all cricketers have been brought up playing first-class cricket.

“When we start playing cricket at a competitive level, even in Mumbai, club cricket (matches) go on for two days (or) three days... so we are built like that and it starts at a very young age for us. It kind of makes it a little easier on how to respond to situations that are there in front of you,” he said.

Rohit said not all young players understand the importance of preparing well at the start of their careers but they learn gradually.

“...when I started playing the sport, it was all about having fun, enjoying (it),” Rohit said. “As you go on, you start playing age-group cricket and you kind of keep moving forward from that. Slowly, as you meet a lot of senior players (and) coaches, they talk about how important it is to prepare well.

“When you are very young, you don’t understand the importance of preparation. But as you go along, you understand, it gives you a kind of discipline that the game asks for, so it starts with preparation, understanding what exactly you need to do,” he said.

Rohit said sustaining momentum for high performance, especially in Test cricket, begins with being mentally fresh.

“It takes a lot when you’re playing the longest format and concentration is something that is the key, because you are speaking about high-level performance and when you are expecting to put in high-level performance, it starts with being mentally fresh all the time,” he said.

“There are three sessions in a day and there are breaks after an hour... So you kind of break it into those halves and then you keep moving forward. So it requires a lot of concentration in your batting because obviously the bowlers are bowling at you, there are a lot of different types of bowlers who will come and bowl at you, challenge you.

“You’ve got to mentally keep talking to yourself... if it’s a spinner, how am I going to play, if it’s a fast bowler, how I’m supposed to play. So that obviously requires a lot of concentration.

“A lot of work starts behind the scenes. Like I said, in preparation. I have to go back again to that because that is where it all starts. You prepare yourself to sustain for the longer period of time on the field.”

Preparation has been the key and Rohit said he began spending a lot of time on it to make his mark.

“It exactly happened the same (way) with me, when I started playing for Mumbai and then went on to play for India. A lot of the focus, a lot of my time was given (on) how I prepped before the game,” he said.

“Because once the game starts, it’s all about reaction and you react to whatever is thrown at you, whether it is a pressure situation, whether it is making the right decision on the field with the bat or with the ball.

“A lot of time was devoted to preparations and I’m sure it’s not just in cricket, but anywhere, whatever you do with life, I think preparation is the key,” he added.

“So yeah, I mean, for me, if I sit down and analyse, it was mainly about understanding the opposition, what kind of opposition I play, what kind of bowlers do they have, what kind of ground I’m playing in, what is the pitch going to do like, all those things...

“Taking everything into my stride and then moving forward with that. And then once the game starts, it’s all about you know, instinctively reacting to whatever is thrown at you.”