Virat Kohli 's greatest contribution to Indian cricket extends beyond his remarkable batting achievements and Test captaincy success, as he revolutionized the team's fitness culture. Working closely with former strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu since 2015, Kohli transformed himself and the Indian cricket team 's approach to fitness, enabling them to compete more effectively with South Africa, England, Australia, and New Zealand (SENA) countries.
Kohli's fitness journey began after the 2012 Australia tour, but it was his collaboration with Basu in 2015 that led to a scientific approach to training and a complete transformation.
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The change in fitness culture helped India establish itself as a formidable force against SENA nations, areas where Indian players previously struggled to match their opponents physically.
"He is the first cricketer who decided to train like an Olympic athlete. He didn't want to train with oft-repeated methods, he wanted to do something different. Our relationship goes back to 2009. He is a very good student. He will have a lot of questions initially, and once he was convinced he will go in that direction. The sign of a good leader is that first he will turn into a role model, which Virat did with aplomb," says Basu.
Quiz: Who's that IPL player?
"From there, one by one, the entire team started embracing that culture. The Indian team was an embodiment of fitness over a period. I remember a time when one of the foreign coaches came and asked one of our team members what our team was doing? Virat and the whole bunch are moving like athletes and their agility is unbelievable. But I would say all the credit goes to Virat."
Basu compares Kohli's dedication to fitness with other sporting legends. "I always make a comparison of Virat Kohli, Cristiano Ronaldo , LeBron James, Usain Bolt. He falls in the same league with regards to passion, excellence. Don't think he will be happy with a world record; if he has established one, he will try and break that. He is a once in a 100 years guy."
The transformation process began when Basu joined the team in 2015, introducing a new scientific template that required patience and consistency.
"Hard work and discipline, I agree, are important but method and consistency are the two new two words. You have to come up with a template that is scientific. You can't say everyone is doing, so you also do it. If someone is working for two hours, you work three hours, that is crap. You have to be drawn by science and logic, not blind work," Basu explains.
Kohli's precision in following the fitness regime impressed Basu. "It is his precision. Once he understands the blue print, Virat will stick to it all the time. If he has to drink juice at 11 O'clock, you can rest assured it will be 11. If people have to emulate him, it has to be consistency, precision, understanding a template, understanding science and logic."
The results of this fitness transformation were evident in Kohli's performance, particularly between 2016 and 2019, when he scored seven double hundreds in Test cricket.
"The proof of the pudding is in its eating. It was there for everyone to see – from 2016 to 2019 he made seven double hundreds, what more can you ask? If you include fielding and aggression, no one can hold a candle to him. Not a single day will you see him without aggression. I myself sometimes marvelled, where is this guy coming from. I would say he was a pathbreaker. Don't you think he changed how the game was played? Don't you think it was a new era with him? What more can you ask?"
Kohli's fitness journey began after the 2012 Australia tour, but it was his collaboration with Basu in 2015 that led to a scientific approach to training and a complete transformation.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
The change in fitness culture helped India establish itself as a formidable force against SENA nations, areas where Indian players previously struggled to match their opponents physically.
"He is the first cricketer who decided to train like an Olympic athlete. He didn't want to train with oft-repeated methods, he wanted to do something different. Our relationship goes back to 2009. He is a very good student. He will have a lot of questions initially, and once he was convinced he will go in that direction. The sign of a good leader is that first he will turn into a role model, which Virat did with aplomb," says Basu.
Quiz: Who's that IPL player?
"From there, one by one, the entire team started embracing that culture. The Indian team was an embodiment of fitness over a period. I remember a time when one of the foreign coaches came and asked one of our team members what our team was doing? Virat and the whole bunch are moving like athletes and their agility is unbelievable. But I would say all the credit goes to Virat."
Basu compares Kohli's dedication to fitness with other sporting legends. "I always make a comparison of Virat Kohli, Cristiano Ronaldo , LeBron James, Usain Bolt. He falls in the same league with regards to passion, excellence. Don't think he will be happy with a world record; if he has established one, he will try and break that. He is a once in a 100 years guy."
The transformation process began when Basu joined the team in 2015, introducing a new scientific template that required patience and consistency.
"Hard work and discipline, I agree, are important but method and consistency are the two new two words. You have to come up with a template that is scientific. You can't say everyone is doing, so you also do it. If someone is working for two hours, you work three hours, that is crap. You have to be drawn by science and logic, not blind work," Basu explains.
Kohli's precision in following the fitness regime impressed Basu. "It is his precision. Once he understands the blue print, Virat will stick to it all the time. If he has to drink juice at 11 O'clock, you can rest assured it will be 11. If people have to emulate him, it has to be consistency, precision, understanding a template, understanding science and logic."
The results of this fitness transformation were evident in Kohli's performance, particularly between 2016 and 2019, when he scored seven double hundreds in Test cricket.
"The proof of the pudding is in its eating. It was there for everyone to see – from 2016 to 2019 he made seven double hundreds, what more can you ask? If you include fielding and aggression, no one can hold a candle to him. Not a single day will you see him without aggression. I myself sometimes marvelled, where is this guy coming from. I would say he was a pathbreaker. Don't you think he changed how the game was played? Don't you think it was a new era with him? What more can you ask?"
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