As Pakistan’s cricket team faces intense criticism for their early exit from the T20 World Cup, an old video of Virat Kohli discussing the importance of fitness has resurfaced on social media. In the interview from the show ‘In Depth with Graham’, Kohli shared insights into his physical transformation and what motivated him to become a fitness enthusiast.
Kohli’s Turning Point
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The former India captain revealed that his realization came at the end of IPL 2012. He said:
I played IPL for four years. I was playing for India at the highest level, but I didn’t get the success that some of the established players did. I had a bad IPL in 2012. My eating habits were horrible in that season.
I remember coming back home, I came out of the shower after the team didn’t do well… I looked at myself in the mirror and that’s the time it hit me. Somehow everything bad in me, I get the calling that I need to get it right. There’s hardly anyone coming and telling me ‘You’re messing up’. It just comes from within.
Fitness Transformation
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Kohli, now regarded as a benchmark for fitness in world cricket, described his transformation journey:
I saw myself in the mirror and said, ‘You can’t look like that if you are an international cricketer. How the hell are you gonna continue like this if you don’t take care of yourself?’ Boom! The next day, I changed everything about my diet. I hit the gym two hours a day. Took just a day off in the week. I got away from all kinds of junk.
I didn’t have a cheat day. Within 8-10 months, I lost 6-7 kgs. From then on, it became such an addiction because I saw the results on the field. I felt quicker, I felt more focused, so then I decided, this is what I’m gonna do.
The video, shared with the caption “Show this to the Pakistan cricket team,” garnered close to 100,000 impressions in just 12 hours. It also caught the attention of cricketers like Steve Smith and Sanath Jayasuriya, who emphasized the need for a fitness culture in cricket teams.
The fitness standards of Pakistan cricketers have been a topic of scrutiny for a while. After their losses to the USA and India, and a narrow victory against Ireland, which wasn’t enough to advance to the Super Eight stage, questions about their fitness grew louder.
Kirsten’s Criticism
According to Pakistani media reports, head coach Gary Kirsten, who led India to the ODI World Cup triumph in 2011, did not hold back in his assessment of the team following their elimination.
“There’s no unity in Pakistan’s team. They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I’ve worked with many teams, but I’ve never seen such a situation,” Kirsten reportedly said.
Kirsten, who joined the team post-IPL, where he worked with the Gujarat Titans, also expressed his dissatisfaction with the players’ fitness and skill levels.
“Your fitness levels are not up to the mark and you are far behind the rest of the world in terms of skill levels. Even after playing so much cricket, no one knows which shot to play and when,” Kirsten reportedly told the players.
As Pakistan’s cricket team grapples with these criticisms, the resurfaced video of Kohli underscores the significant impact of fitness on performance, offering a stark contrast to the challenges faced by the Pakistani squad.
Also Read: Ramiz Raja Criticizes Babar Azam’s Captaincy and Pakistan’s Performance Post T20 World Cup Exit
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