Virat Kohli has been lauded by former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez for setting standards in fitness and for transforming himself to prolong his career. This comes ahead of the India v Pakistan T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday, June 9.

India leads 6-1 in the seven matches against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2024 and Mohammad Hafeez has been part of a few encounters himself. He has seen India batter Virat Kohli develop into a legend from up close and hailed him for not only setting standards in batting but also fitness.

"Let me say a small thing about Virat. He has not just set his standards in batting, he has set his standards for his fitness also, and because of that, his transformation looks very easy to us. He is so fit that no matter how much pressure is put on him, he absorbs it. Look back ten years and tell me any player who is fitter than Virat. Not only in India but in the whole world he will be No. 1 because of his fitness,” Hafeez said in a video he shared on his X handle.

"The way he has transformed himself and this we need to understand that why someone doesn't drop his standard. He can also say that I have been playing cricket for 15 years, how does it matter if my YoYo test score comes 16 instead of 17. My fat level goes to 100 from 60 how will it matter as I have hit 70 centuries, but no, he still thinks that I have to play this game as one of the best athletes and I have to leave that legacy that no one has left. This is the standard that is why Virat Kohli is considered an icon in international cricket and the whole world," Hafeez concluded.

Here is the video:

Notably, Virat Kohli is the highest-ever run-getter in T20Is with 4038 runs. In 10 T20Is against Pakistan, Virat has scored 488 runs at a strike rate of 123.85 and an average of 81.33, with the highest score of an unbeaten 82.