Virat Kohli, he is the best batsman in the world, an unstoppable run-scoring machine. Whenever he’s at the crease, anything and everything is possible. When the team is in trouble or to save a match, Virat is always there to do the impossible, he never fails to deliver. Virat has evolved his game and temperament over the period of time. This young batsman is slowly breaking many old records, creating news ones, cementing his legacy amongst the greatest batsmen of all time.
The secret behind Virat’s success is his supreme fitness and love for the game. He is one of the fittest players in the sport. We have heard stories on how hard Virat works for his fitness. But it wasn’t always the case.
Virat Kohli revealed in an interview how a casual chat with former India coach Duncan Fletcher changed his perspective completely and he began taking his fitness seriously.
This candid chat with Duncan inspired Virat to become the fittest player in the game. Virat said,
Duncan told me once that he feels cricket is the most unprofessional of professional sports.
“You need a set pattern of your training, the way you eat, how healthy and fit you need to be”.
Duncan told him the importance of fitness. Virat admits that adjusting to this strict disciplined regime was initially very difficult, but he got used to it. And being fitter made him mentally stronger. There was a direct connection, he said.
His Fitness, work ethic, training, discipline wasn’t always how it is now. Earlier fitness wasn’t a concern for him. Virat speaks on how he was like during the IPL 2012 season, he said,
My training was horrible, I ate so bad, I was up until late, I was having a drink or two regularly. It was a horrible mindset.
Virat struggled in the IPL 2012 season, he just wanted the season to end. He went home, got into the shower, but when he came out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror, it changed everything!
I was 11 or 12kgs heavier than I am now, I was really chubby. I changed everything from the next morning from what I eat to how I train. I was in the gym for an hour-and-a-half every day. Working really hard, off gluten, off wheat, no cold drinks, no desserts, nothing. It was tough.
In 2015, he changed his training again. He started lifting, snatching, cleaning and dead lifting. With this training, he felt more power in his legs, he felt healthier than ever. This is how the Indian skipper looks now.
