If there is one player in international cricket who has completely transformed himself in every aspect, he has to be Indian batting star Virat Kohli. The Indian Test skipper has not only impressed with his astonishing batting prowess but has also left everyone amazed with his sheer fitness.
The Delhi batsman walked into international cricket as a chubby guy. However, the last couple of years has seen him achieving supreme fitness that has helped him to take his game to a different level. Well, there is no denying the fact that the cricket fans around the country would be really eager to know the reason that compelled Kohli to completely change his lifestyle. And the batsman has now revealed the reason.
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said:“Duncan told me once that he feels cricket is the most unprofessional of professional sports. You can have the skill but do not think you need to train as much as a tennis player. But I realised if you want to stay on top playing three formats in this day and age you need a routine.
“You need a set pattern of your training, the way you eat, how healthy and fit you need to be. Being fitter made me mentally stronger. It was like a direct connection,” Kohli added.
Recalling his earlier lifestyle, Kohli admitted that initially it was tough for him to give up on food and adapt a healthy lifestyle. However, the urge to become one of the best in the world helped him to change his mindset.
“It changed in 2012. I had great tours to Australia and scored 180 against Bangladesh and went into the IPL thinking: ‘Wow this is going to be a great season for me.’ I wanted to make it my tournament and dominate the bowlers. I really struggled.
“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. The season ended and I was so thankful it was over. I went home, came out of the shower one day and looked at myself in the mirror and said ‘you can’t look like this if you want to be a professional cricketer.’
“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.
“For the first two months I felt I wanted to eat the bed sheet when I went to sleep because I was so hungry. I was craving taste. I was craving delicious food. But then I saw the results. I felt quick around the field. I would wake up in morning and feel like I had energy,” he revealed.
Kohli explained the results that he got also helped him to adapt a healthy lifestyle.
“From 2015 I changed my training again. I started lifting, snatching, cleaning and dead lifting. It was unbelievable. I saw the result. I remember running after a ball in a Test series in Sri Lanka and I felt more power in my legs. It was, like, ‘wow’. This training is addictive. The last year-and-a-half it has taken my game to another level,” he said.
The Indian Test captain, whose team is currently number one in world, said he wants his team to win matches not only in India but in every part of the world.
“One of the things I would love is for this team to win series outside India, not just in one place but everywhere we go. For me it is not winning one Test match and saying we made history and then not being able to follow that up. I want us to be the fittest Indian team that has played the game as well,” he concluded.