Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt explained the reason behind Virat Kohli’s dip in the yo-yo score ahead of the Asia Cup 2023. The former Indian skipper is known for his fitness in International cricket, as he set the benchmark for Indian youngsters to be at their absolute best in the game.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has organized a short camp to get the team fully ready for the marquee event, where all the Indian players proved their fitness going into the Asia Cup 2023. Shubman Gill top-scored among the players with 18.7, while Virat Kohli finished with an impressive score of 17.2 in the yo-yo test.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Salman Butt feels that a player knows about his body better once he reaches a certain age in the game and believes that youngster tries to push themselves too hard on fitness at a young age, while senior players try to cross the deadlines rather than pushing them too hard.
“I’ll tell you one thing. When a player reaches a certain age and he knows what the required limit is, he would simply cross it and be done with it. In the Pakistan team, we were also taking part in these fitness tests.
“The youngsters had this craze of pushing the limits. The seniors, no matter how fit they are, just try to cross the benchmark and let it be. They don’t try to push further because it also creates unnecessary expectations,” Salman Butt said.
Virat Kohli is a known fitness freak in the Indian Team and has brought a new fitness regime to the Indian team during his stint as captain, which eventually helped Indian pacers to bowl exceptionally well in overseas conditions. With the kind of fitness, Virat Kohli is currently in at the age of 34, he would look to continue to play at the highest level for a few more years.
You See His Shots, The Two Shots Virat Kohli Hit Against Haris Rauf In World Cup – Salman Butt
Salman Butt feels that the YoYo test is the only benchmark for the fitness of the player and recalled his shot selection against the Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf in the 2022 T20 World Cup and believes that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma didn’t work on his fitness as much of Virat Kohli.
“YoYo is not the only benchmark, though. You see his gymwork, his ethics. You see his shots, the two shots he hit against Haris Rauf in the World Cup last year… not much time has gone by. Rohit Sharma didn’t work as hard as he should have. He was a great talent but he didn’t take care of his fitness. You just have to see both of their appearances,” Salman Butt added.
The 34-year-old has been unstoppable since he recovered his form starting in Asia Cup 2022, In the BGT 2023, The former Indian skipper scored a Test century after almost a gap of three years and five months and he would look to put a match-winning performance of the Indian team in the Asia Cup 2023.