India skipper Virat Kohli’s physical transformation in the last few years has been awe-inspiring, to say the least. In fact, a lot of the members of Indian cricket team even got inspired by his fitness regime and consequently started training with discipline.
But Kohli wasn't always this dedicated towards fitness. During his initial years in international cricket, he was not aware of how to take proper care of his body and was developing certain bad habits. However, things changed once he himself realised that he needs to get his act right.
"Obviously when your habits are not great, you know when you are young, you are not that disciplined. You are partying, not taking care of your rest. You know you have a few drinks as well. Your system is not responding the way it should be for a sportsman.
"And I think that it has to be a thing that comes from within. It can't be taught to you. It can't be explained from the outside. Luckily that thing came to me itself that you need to get your act right if you want be a successful international cricketer. Because if you continue like this you are just going be one player who played for a few years and then disappeared because you wasn't disciplined enough or one who didn't maximise his potential," Virat told India Today.
Kohli has often attributed his stellar showing with the willow to his intense fitness regime. However, in order to attain such flawless health condition, the 31-year-old has made serious changes in his eating habits and lifestyle.
Team India’s former fitness trainer Shankar Basu was the driving force behind this change and Kohli showered rich praise on him for playing such a huge in his career.
"I started working on myself from 2012, midway after the IPL. About 2013 is the time that I became too lean. 2014 I continued like that. Then 2015 onwards Mr Shankar Basu was the Indian team trainer and worked in RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore) as well. He introduced me to Olympic lifting and speed strength and power endurance and these kinds of things and I had never experienced that before.
"Because I trusted him, he had worked with me for 8 years, he said trust me just give this a go and you will see wonders happening with your body. I said OK. I trusted him. I did this for three weeks and my body just responded in a way that I never felt like you know myself ever again, like the slower self. I felt like someone has put high octane fuel in my body and I was just flying and from then on it became an obsession," the Indian captain remarked.
Following Kohli's footsteps, almost all the Indian players are now super fit and it reflects on the performances of the unit.
Team India are the numero uno Test side for the last three years and are few points behind the World Champions England in the ICC ODI rankings.
"If I am leading and if I want my teammates to put in efforts, I should be there all day, doing that first, you know before asking someone else to do it. So everything came together so wonderfully for me. My own thing came, my mindset, the fitness change, the boost through Mr Basu our trainer. The whole thing came along so well together and I think 2016 is when I really hit my fitness peak and from then on I have just maintained for the last 3-4 years," Virat Kohli said.
(Inputs from India Today)
