Mumbai: Fitness is immensely responsible for an athlete’s performance and longevity. India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli knows it better than many. So, it’s no wonder that he would strive to be the world’s best athlete.
The writer isn’t saying this, instead it has been divulged by the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Indian team fitness trainer Shanker Basu. “Virat has decided to become the best athlete in the world and sky is the limit. There a lot of role models ahead of him in terms of sheer athletic abilities and he will never shy away from competition. He will grab it with both hands,” Basu was quoted as saying by bcci.tv.
The official website of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also shared insights of the Test captain’s approach towards fitness.
“Virat will never challenge you once he is convinced about your methods. I found an athlete who was ready to go through the grind and work hard consistently whenever the need arose. He is very good with his nutrition plans and discipline factors.
“He has also made a lot of lifestyle changes. Kudos to him. I was just a tool. I only introduced him to the right kind of strength work which was already building thanks to my predecessors. When I joined the Indian team full time, I was able to spend more quality time on a daily basis. That probably was the icing on the cake as about 90 per cent of the work was done by him and I just provided the finishing touch,” Basu was quoted in the website.
The cricketer who is going through a purple patch in his career in all three formats of the game has scored 626 runs in 10 ODIs in last 12 months at a average of over 62. He smashed three tons and equal number of 50s in last one year.