India's bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad says cricketers who want to prolong their career, especially reserve players, must not compromise on their fitness.

"When you play cricket at the highest level, you have to maintain your fitness and that's absolutely essential," Prasad told Cricinfo. "That's one area where there's no question of compromise. We are playing enough matches, so you don't have to keep running to the nets to work on your skills in terms of bowling and batting. It's fitness that you have to focus on."