Widely regarded as one of the finest athletes in the sport, Virat Kohli’s fitness regime has inspired a generation of Indian cricketers.  

Kohli has often attributed his success with the willow to his intense fitness regime. However, in order to attain supreme fitness levels, the 35-year-old has had to make some serious changes to his eating habits and lifestyle.

Recently, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh acknowledged Kohli’s obsession with fitness and credited the latter for helping him get fit.

Harbhajan also praised Kohli for driving a fitness culture in the Indian camp, hailing him as a ‘fitness guru’.

"Absolutely, if we talk about fitness, you only get to know when you look at yourself in the mirror, and you realise that yes, this is not right, and you need to do something about it. A man who could easily eat food for 4 people alone. Every time he used to talk about food, Paaji! Should I order this? He was a food fanatic," Harbhajan said while speaking to Star Sports.

"When I saw changes in him, I questioned, this much control? That he will eat a particular food and only in a particular amount and not more than that and as per timing. He got discipline within himself. He tried to get me in discipline as well. Those 2 years went well for me and I reached the peak of my fitness because of Virat Kohli. He started taking me to the gym. I will call him fitness guru. It's Virat Kohli who has set the pattern of fitness in the Indian team," he added.

In the past, Virat Kohli has himself acknowledged that he 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 realized that he needs to get his act right.

“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… It 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," Kohli said in an interview with The Telegraph in 2016.

On the work front, Virat Kohli is not featuring in the ongoing five-Test series against England due to personal reasons. He announced the birth of his second child on February 20.

Kohli is expected to return to action in the upcoming IPL 2024 season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.