Is Virat Kohli wrong in saying fitness is the most prime aspect of the game?

[KP From India]

Chatting with prime minister Narendra Modi, Kohli emphasises again on fitness and how it is important in todays era and said that game requirements have shifted from 20 years.
I mean, what is the use of your athletic body when you drop sitters in a game? When you can not keep your cool in semi finals and finals and difficult away tours? Wont you take tactically shrewd captain who is little less fitness freak(still decent fit) and averaging 5 less than Kohli but marshells his troops well and produce 60%+ results overseas.Discuss.

 

[offstump]

Fitness is important for longevity. To play three formats plus league cricket takes a tremendous toll on your body and peak physical fitness is the key to survive. If you have a player that only plays a couple of formats or a test specialist, then I don’t think you need to be at Kohli’s fitness level.

 

[JattMaula]

Kaptaan is almost always wrong but he is correct about fitness and it's importance.

 

[Savak]

The benchmark Kohli has set is Supreme. I wish our upcoming Pakistani youngsters can take a leaf from his book

 

[Abhilash93]

It may not be possible for every player to become tactically shrewd etc just by working hard. Some are more naturally blessed like Dhoni and it comes with experience as well.

Fitness on the other hand can be improved by anyone by just working on it (unless you have some underlying medical condition that restricts you).

 

[BreadPakoda]

You won't start catching better and winning crucial games if you stop focusing on fitness.

 

[tyron_woodley]

The benchmark Kohli has set is Supreme. I wish our upcoming Pakistani youngsters can take a leaf from his book

you need mental strength to achieve peak fitness levels. Lot of desis like to live off talent and not work hard after. talent is just a stepping stone. It opens doors. That's all. You need top level fitness to become an elite player across formats with mental strength ofcourse.

 

[Savak]

you need mental strength to achieve peak fitness levels. Lot of desis like to live off talent and not work hard after. talent is just a stepping stone. It opens doors. That's all. You need top level fitness to become an elite player across formats with mental strength ofcourse.

Unfortunately our desi food, cuisines are extremely tough to ignore for very long. I have tried very hard to stick to these western diets of grilled chicken, veggies, salads, green smoothies but after a while the body starts craving for the delicious Pakistani foods. Kohli apparently has stayed away from his favorite childhood foods for the last 7-8 years and religiously sticks to his diet.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

The benchmark Kohli has set is Supreme. I wish our upcoming Pakistani youngsters can take a leaf from his book

Pakistani players are not disciplined enough or shall I say professional enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle which means sacrificing on some or most of the foods cooked on a daily basis in the household.

As for indians, they do not eat meat (or most don't) which for one helps a fair bit and then also the concept of working out and keeping a check on their diet too.

 

[jazbati]

Fitness is important for longevity so I agree with that but skills are equally important if not more.

I mean not sure how fit Mark Waugh was but boy was he a great slip catcher and a wonderful batsman as well.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

I mean, what is the use of your athletic body when you drop sitters in a game? When you can not keep your cool in semi finals and finals and difficult away tours?

So you'd rather he drop sitters and not keep his cool while being fat?

Fitness is absolutely important in sport. Don't be ridiculous.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Unfortunately our desi food, cuisines are extremely tough to ignore for very long. I have tried very hard to stick to these western diets of grilled chicken, veggies, salads, green smoothies but after a while the body starts craving for the delicious Pakistani foods. Kohli apparently has stayed away from his favorite childhood foods for the last 7-8 years and religiously sticks to his diet.

I absolutely agree and it's totally understandable. desi food is ridiculously tasty. But you HAVE TO AVOID it to be an elite player.

it's just sad I know. Have to lay off the oil, the sweets, the pastries, no sugary items. No curry. period. It sucks for people who are brought up with these desi cultural values. They are so accustomed to the tasty indian/Pakistani cuisine.

I wish there was an alternative but unfortunately there isn't. My partner loves curry lol. I despise it even though it tastes good. I am lucky in the sense that i often have diarrhea when I eat desi food. So I have no choice but to stay away and trust me it really helps with my strength and conditioning. Staying away from curry has helped me make tremendous gains in strength and conditioning. Also helped with stamina for karate etc.

 

[pratiktc]

It is non negotiable today.

I don't understand how talented young players today cannot have this basic discipline.
Their careers are at best 15 years of earning touch wood if they are talented. It is pure logic to maximize fitness to wring out best of their talent for longest possible time.

Cannot hide behind silly excuses like sweet tooth, desi family pressure etc. These guys are professionals and they have to behave in that manner.

Players like Rohit are excellent but you will see the difference fitness plays at 34-35 age when reflexes, recovery rate start to slow down.

 

[Savak]

I absolutely agree and it's totally understandable. desi food is ridiculously tasty. But you HAVE TO AVOID it to be an elite player.

it's just sad I know. Have to lay off the oil, the sweets, the pastries, no sugary items. No curry. period. It sucks for people who are brought up with these desi cultural values. They are so accustomed to the tasty indian/Pakistani cuisine.

I wish there was an alternative but unfortunately there isn't. My partner loves curry lol. I despise it even though it tastes good. I am lucky in the sense that i often have diarrhea when I eat desi food. So I have no choice but to stay away and trust me it really helps with my strength and conditioning. Staying away from curry has helped me make tremendous gains in strength and conditioning. Also helped with stamina for karate etc.

The nutritionist i am seeking help from offers different weight loss packages to different clients, she offers a pure western style diet to clients who are willing to give up consuming desi food all the time, then she offers a desi/pakistani package for clients who cannot get away from desi food for long.

Apparently she says that she has a lot of Pakistani and Indian clients who gorge on Desi/Pakistani/Indian foods daily and have still lost weight and gotten fitter and that its all about calories and portion control. Maybe our players should deal with a nutritionist like this who ensures they do not have to give up their local cuisines.

 

[Savak]

It is non negotiable today.

I don't understand how talented young players today cannot have this basic discipline.
Their careers are at best 15 years of earning touch wood if they are talented. It is pure logic to maximize fitness to wring out best of their talent for longest possible time.

Cannot hide behind silly excuses like sweet tooth, desi family pressure etc. These guys are professionals and they have to behave in that manner.

Players like Rohit are excellent but you will see the difference fitness plays at 34-35 age when reflexes, recovery rate start to slow down.

I think whats made the difference in India is that having peak elite fitness is the difference between getting an IPL contract worth $1-2 million or not getting an IPL Contract at all.

In Pakistan lol, whether our players are super fit or not, everyone gets the same monthly salary, A, B, C contract and gets selected based on his skills. If the PCB and PSL one day starts increasing the pay and the franchises reward super fit players with $ million contracts, watch the upcoming youngster stick to diet plans and work out in the gym.

 

[jiduguravindra]

If u are not fit enough how can u run twos and threes on slower tracks where it was very difficult to found boundary on consistent basis.
Nice benchmark to set for upcoming cricketers..
Samson revealed his conversation with kohli about fitness
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/sport...ier-league-kings-xi-punjab-1726758-2020-09-29

 

[Pakhs]

That was always a marketing thing and some people here like Mamoon was deceived. Reality is most people who play cricket at that level are fit enough to perform to the best of their abilities or very close. Extreme fitness can help a little but wont replace talent.

The only reason why kohli is what he is because of extreme talent not extreme fitness.

 

[Pakhs]

If u are not fit enough how can u run twos and threes on slower tracks where it was very difficult to found boundary on consistent basis.
Nice benchmark to set for upcoming cricketers..
Samson revealed his conversation with kohli about fitness
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/sport...ier-league-kings-xi-punjab-1726758-2020-09-29

Most international players are fit enough due to doing physical activities ever day just to keep their skills up. Extreme talent will never replace extreme fitness.

There will be odd players who will need to work extra hard for example if you are getting older or you were disadvantaged in a sense that you gain weight easily etc. Kohli judging by his some earlier pictures could be someone who needed to work extra hard to get in line with most international athletes.

 

[sweep_shot]

Fitness has become very important in cricket but it is probably not the most important aspect. Many unfit cricketers have done well before.

Every modern cricketer should take fitness seriously. Times have changed.

 

[tyron_woodley]

That was always a marketing thing and some people here like Mamoon was deceived. Reality is most people who play cricket at that level are fit enough to perform to the best of their abilities or very close. Extreme fitness can help a little but wont replace talent.

The only reason why kohli is what he is because of extreme talent not extreme fitness.

absolute ********. if all things are equal in terms of attributes, then fitness is an absolute asset. You need talent yes but it needs to be supplemented with elite level fitness.

this applies to bowling and fielding in particular.

A bowler has to be possess elite top tier fitness levels to be a great player.

batsmen can get away with pure talent however, fitness would definitely elevate a top batsman's game by prolonging his peak level, helping him stay injury free, Improve hand eye coordination, reflexes, agility, speed and power etc.

 

[Local.Dada]

skill practice+ fitness + natural talent in that order

 

[Pakhs]

absolute ********. if all things are equal in terms of attributes, then fitness is an absolute asset. You need talent yes but it needs to be supplemented with elite level fitness.

this applies to bowling and fielding in particular.

A bowler has to be possess elite top tier fitness levels to be a great player.

batsmen can get away with pure talent however, fitness would definitely elevate a top batsman's game by prolonging his peak level, helping him stay injury free, Improve hand eye coordination, reflexes, agility, speed and power etc.

So hand eye coordination is related to fitness? This is where people who never played the sport should not be commenting on these things. Kohli in his own words were unfit and yet fast tracked into Indian side with 1.3 billion population with just one sport to play. All bowlers who make it to international class have ample fitness (getting injured is different or coming back from injuries etc) simply because you cant replicate bowling 20 overs a day in test matches in nets or playing domestic. Big example of this is Bumrah who is struggling since he has become regular test match bowler.

 

[Local.Dada]

Most international players are fit enough due to doing physical activities ever day just to keep their skills up. Extreme talent will never replace extreme fitness.

There will be odd players who will need to work extra hard for example if you are getting older or you were disadvantaged in a sense that you gain weight easily etc. Kohli judging by his some earlier pictures could be someone who needed to work extra hard to get in line with most international athletes.

Even a 60 year old guy who abstains from bad habits and does moderate exercise is fit. What separates the prime athletes to the average ones is fitness.

Let’s assume Umar Akmal is more talented than say someone like shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey but Akmal will blow a gasket after he gets a 50(35) but Iyer and Pandey are fit enough to run 2’s and 3’s even if they survive 80-90 balls and maximize their talent. That’s the difference.

I have seen this attitude among Pakistan ex cricketers like Inzamam and Mo Yo. They were making fun of coaches for focusing on fielding and fitness

guys like Jadeja,Pandya or Pandey can just a turn a
match with their fielding.

Closer to your home, there is a reason why YK scored more runs than Inzamam or Moyo as well and a late bloomer like Misbah in his 30’s has ended up with all those runs.

 

[Pakhs]

Even a 60 year old guy who abstains from bad habits and does moderate exercise is fit. What separates the prime athletes to the average ones is fitness.

Let’s assume Umar Akmal is more talented than say someone like shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey but Akmal will blow a gasket after he gets a 50(35) but Iyer and Pandey are fit enough to run 2’s and 3’s even if they survive 80-90 balls and maximize their talent. That’s the difference.

I have seen this attitude among Pakistan ex cricketers like Inzamam and Mo Yo. They were making fun of coaches for focusing on fielding and fitness

guys like Jadeja,Pandya or Pandey can just a turn a
match with their fielding.

Closer to your home, there is a reason why YK scored more runs than Inzamam or Moyo as well and a late bloomer like Misbah in his 30’s has ended up with all those runs.

Yet Inzimam played with great efficiency until 40 (his real age) compare to say Dhoni who started waning at 34. Fitness will never trump talent in skill based sport like cricket. Running between the wickets wont matter if the batsmen can not place it in the GAP at will.

Fielding comes with fitness but most great fielders are born with athletic body like Jadeja. I met Jadeja once at the airport who looked so thin it felt like if I ever had a fight with him one punch and he wont get up ever again but when it comes to fielding he does it better than most.

Its fashionable these days fitness in general life but skill based sport you have to have talent.

 

[tyron_woodley]

So hand eye coordination is related to fitness? This is where people who never played the sport should not be commenting on these things. Kohli in his own words were unfit and yet fast tracked into Indian side with 1.3 billion population with just one sport to play. All bowlers who make it to international class have ample fitness (getting injured is different or coming back from injuries etc) simply because you cant replicate bowling 20 overs a day in test matches in nets or playing domestic. Big example of this is Bumrah who is struggling since he has become regular test match bowler.

me ? never played sport rofl. I have played grade cricket in queensland. Anyway, strength and conditioning is as important as talunntt as you lot would say.

Kohli may be fast tacked when he was unifit. Had he remained unfit he would be just that. A taluntt. he would never have become a world class player that he is now without getting fit. Fitness is mandatory.

Bumrah needs to prioritize tests. tests should always be his utmost priority. If he chases money from t20 then its up to him.

bumrah got injured because he was overworked with t20 and odi games as well. India play far too many games. Their top players dont get rest. Many of these top tier indian players are marketable hence they are needed to play every little rubbish bilateral series.

fitness is not just about running and cardio rofl. Your reaction time can slow down due to age. plyometrics, explosive workouts etc can help you sustain your ability to maintain your reflexes.

To be an elite athelte, you need to focus on strength, power, cardio, flexibility, reflexes, agility, mobility, speed and conditioning.

You will always be a better player with improved fitness levels. Like i said, batsmen can get away with it by being lazy. A bowler however will never be able to survive the rigorous workload without proper strength and conditioning plus fitness training.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Yet Inzimam played with great efficiency until 40 (his real age) compare to say Dhoni who started waning at 34. Fitness will never trump talent in skill based sport like cricket. Running between the wickets wont matter if the batsmen can not place it in the GAP at will.

Fielding comes with fitness but most great fielders are born with athletic body like Jadeja. I met Jadeja once at the airport who looked so thin it felt like if I ever had a fight with him one punch and he wont get up ever again but when it comes to fielding he does it better than most.

Its fashionable these days fitness in general life but skill based sport you have to have talent.

you have to have talent obviously. You need fitness too. Its just as important.

A talented bowler would be just that. A talunnt. he may get injured often. He may breakdown. He may lack the stamina. He may not have the speed after playing certain amount of games. He may even be unable to display his full array of skills when he is tired due to poor fitness levels.

A talunnt with elite level fitness will be a world class player. You need both at the top level. One without the other is absolutely useless.

cummins, bumrah, rabada. All three are top bowlers. Whats a common factor amongst them 3? They are all supremely fit and well conditioned to perform in all formats.

There will always be some exceptions to the rule but thats all it is. An anomaly.

 

[Pakhs]

you have to have talent obviously. You need fitness too. Its just as important.

A talented bowler would be just that. A talunnt. he may get injured often. He may breakdown. He may lack the stamina. He may not have the speed after playing certain amount of games. He may even be unable to display his full array of skills when he is tired due to poor fitness levels.

A talunnt with elite level fitness will be a world class player. You need both at the top level. One without the other is absolutely useless.

cummins, bumrah, rabada. All three are top bowlers. Whats a common factor amongst them 3? They are all supremely fit and well conditioned to perform in all formats.

There will always be some exceptions to the rule but thats all it is. An anomaly.

Cummins was injured for more than 3 years and Bumrah has been injured as soon as he was asked to play proper cricket. Its not fitness it more their actions needed to be corrected etc.

Cricket is skill based sport and as long as you are fit enough to produce your skills that's all you need.

 

[viveks]

yes he is, like in any sport skill, technique and ability to execute the skill consistently is the most important. Fitness is more like a necessary prerequisite. And in response to the nonsense OP, having good fitness has no correlation with dropping catches.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Cummins was injured for more than 3 years and Bumrah has been injured as soon as he was asked to play proper cricket. Its not fitness it more their actions needed to be corrected etc.

Cricket is skill based sport and as long as you are fit enough to produce your skills that's all you need.

you said it yourself. You need fitness to produce results. You will never be a top bowler without elite level fitness.

cummins and bumrah when they first entered the scene were built like pipsqueaks. They added a bit of mass via strength and conditioning and thats why they have excelled in all formats.

There is also something called over training which can cause injuries too. You need specialist coaches to ensure your players remain in peak shape. Workload management is a serious issue and that should never be compromised.

At the end of the day elite fitness would only make you a better player overall. You dont ever regress with top fitness levels. Like i said before, Fitness is as important as skills. You need both.

 

[viveks]

Having bad fitness is like running a race from 3 meters behind the starting point. You may be good but you're already at a disadvantage.

 

[Lurker_Ind]

Fitness is not the most important aspect. Its the skill and hand eye coordination.

Fitness is the x-factor that wins you games.

 

[Local.Dada]

Yet Inzimam played with great efficiency until 40 (his real age) compare to say Dhoni who started waning at 34. Fitness will never trump talent in skill based sport like cricket. Running between the wickets wont matter if the batsmen can not place it in the GAP at will.

Fielding comes with fitness but most great fielders are born with athletic body like Jadeja. I met Jadeja once at the airport who looked so thin it felt like if I ever had a fight with him one punch and he wont get up ever again but when it comes to fielding he does it better than most.

Its fashionable these days fitness in general life but skill based sport you have to have talent.

Sure but how many run outs could have been avoided and turned into big scores?

Also Inzamam had a record for most 50’s I guess which was later broken by Dravid, the point is had he been more agile, how many 50’s could be converted to 100’s?

No one is saying Skills are not important but if you pick 2 evenly skilled guys, one can overtake the other with superior fitness.

 

[Pakhs]

Sure but how many run outs could have been avoided and turned into big scores?

Also Inzamam had a record for most 50’s I guess which was later broken by Dravid, the point is had he been more agile, how many 50’s could be converted to 100’s?

No one is saying Skills are not important but if you pick 2 evenly skilled guys, one can overtake the other with superior fitness.

First and foremost you must have skill and that's the number one requirement and not on par with extreme fitness as people here are suggesting unless your fitness is so poor you cant perform your skills which is very rare for anyone who can make it to international sport. Forget two people equal in skill if given a choice most cricketers will go for extra skill than extra fitness.

Dhoni was extremely fit yet he waned before time due to his eye coordination going he didnt have the talent to adjust like say Sachin had. Same was true for sehwag who never cared for fitness or quick runs he knew he can hit the boundaries at will but again once his talent of see ball hit ball went there was nothing he could do.

 

[Local.Dada]

First and foremost you must have skill and that's the number one requirement and not on par with extreme fitness as people here are suggesting unless your fitness is so poor you cant perform your skills which is very rare for anyone who can make it to international sport. Forget two people equal in skill if given a choice most cricketers will go for extra skill than extra fitness.

Dhoni was extremely fit yet he waned before time due to his eye coordination going he didnt have the talent to adjust like say Sachin had. Same was true for sehwag who never cared for fitness or quick runs he knew he can hit the boundaries at will but again once his talent of see ball hit ball went there was nothing he could do.

Not to turn this into a Ind- Pak banter but he was still agile in the field and over performing guys way younger than him like Sarfaraz etc. His batting declined and that has many other factors like eye sight etc which is not the same when you reach 35+ but he was still killing it in the keeping department.

 

[Local.Dada]

[MENTION=142176]Pakhs[/MENTION] Kohli’s fitness complements his skill and dedication towards it, how difficult is that simple concept to grasp. No one is saying build a 6 pack and skip net practice.

 

[Pakhs]

Not to turn this into a Ind- Pak banter but he was still agile in the field and over performing guys way younger than him like Sarfaraz etc. His batting declined and that has many other factors like eye sight etc which is not the same when you reach 35+ but he was still killing it in the keeping department.

[MENTION=142176]Pakhs[/MENTION] Kohli’s fitness complements his skill and dedication towards it, how difficult is that simple concept to grasp. No one is saying build a 6 pack and skip net practice.

Mate point is that even with Dohni who really was putting extra yards he couldnt account for his skills waning. You cant in a skill based skill.

Regarding Kohli - he is a supremely talented player who marketing people have used to almost say with fitness you can do anything (Ideal person to use for this sort of marketing) where the fact is even the fat version of kohli was killing it at international level.

 

[tyron_woodley]

again, batsmen may get away with it when their hand eye coordination gets weaker due to pure talent. Sacchhu still had the power and stamina to play long innings so fitness is important. That too with a pudgy body. Had sacchhu been as fit as virat he would have been even better. He probably is one of the best ever but his level would be beyond imagination had he taken fitness seriously.

hand eye coordination is very important but you also need strength, timing, power, speed, balance footwork and the ability to run between wickets to succeed. How are you going to clear the boundary with a physique of chahal?

When two players are equally skilful then fitter player will always ALWAYS be the better player.

Bowlers have no excuse to not remain fit. Bowling is entirely based on your action and overall fitness plus other intangibles.

 

[Indiafan]

Another Indian Player who is taking fitness seriously and is now getting better and faster (Siani)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdXWG51UcAEkEvv?format=jpg&name=small

 

[tyron_woodley]

Another Indian Player who is taking fitness seriously and is now getting better and faster (Siani)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdXWG51UcAEkEvv?format=jpg&name=small

saini is a beast.

This is nothing though. this is just the beginning.

See indian hockey team. They were ranked 10 in 2000s. Now post 2015 they are number 4.

Why? fitness changes. Fitness regime. Indian athletes will only keep getting better and better. In cricket and hockey they are already elite.

most of them anyway. There is still a lot of work to do as some unfit loafers do get picked based on recommendations and political connections etc.

 

[Firebat]

The guy is still a beast

 

[MenInG]

The guy is still a beast

View attachment 135987

"Players have been informed verbally to avoid posting any confidential matter on social media platforms. They can post pictures while training but posting a score leads to breach of contract clause," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

 

[pakfan54588]

Kohli is still more fitter than our whole Pakistan team .May be shan can give him some competition

 

[CerebralPatriot]

Not necessarily. Look how successful Sharjeel and Azam have been in franchise T20 and first class cricket. Just a shame that there is such a stigma around the way you look and due to this, they are not selected to the international team.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

BCCI’s benchmark is 16.2, Virat Kohli gets 17.2 and I’m assuming Sharma passed which just goes to show that you can look like Sharma and still have similar fitness levels to someone like Virat who probably trains every day, unless of course Sharma failed and it’s being covered up lol.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Fit player can adapt better to varying pitch conditions, weather, and match formats. So yes fitness is important.

 

[mominsaigol]

Not necessarily. Look how successful Sharjeel and Azam have been in franchise T20 and first class cricket. Just a shame that there is such a stigma around the way you look and due to this, they are not selected to the international team.

Brother whats the obsession with azam Khan, he can't even score 5 runs in international cricket.

And sharjeel Khan is useless, sharjeel was never a great player, he failed in more matches then performed.

Playing franchise league means nothing, Shadab and shaheen bat like a million dollars in franchise cricket.

 

[mominsaigol]

Kholi believes in routine, he's always said to achieve success in cricket you need to build a routine, such as healthy eating, consistent net practise and discipline and while that routine can be boring, it will achieve success.

He isn't talking about being thin, he's talking about building a routine to achieve success which rohit has achieved.

 

[Stewie]

i think he is wrong. fitness is important but you cannot put a super fit guy on the field and expect him to beat someone who is comparatively unfit but has top drawer talent as say Lara, Warne, Shoaib Akhtar.

It is definitely required for the rigors of the game but if I had the option to pick a player for a singular game, or perhaps even a series, I would pick a gifted talent over a super fit mediocre talent.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

i think he is wrong. fitness is important but you cannot put a super fit guy on the field and expect him to beat someone who is comparatively unfit but has top drawer talent as say Lara, Warne, Shoaib Akhtar.

It is definitely required for the rigors of the game but if I had the option to pick a player for a singular game, or perhaps even a series, I would pick a gifted talent over a super fit mediocre talent.

Shaan Masood's name popped into my thoughts all of a sudden.

 

[Stewie]

Shaan Masood's name popped into my thoughts all of a sudden.

A very good example of the point I am trying to make. If there is a comparison between two similarly gifted players, yes fitness can be used as a benchmark, but you simply cannot make fitness as the main standard to pick cricketers. You will most likely miss out on some better players who may not possess top drawer fitness.

I think the Windies get it and play that big dude who looks like a sumo wrestler. He does great for them.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shubman Gill Tops Yo-Yo Test, Beats Virat Kohli And Others With 18.7 Score: Report

Batting sensation Shubman Gill has topped the Yo-Yo Test for India ahead of the Asia Cup 2023. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organised a camp for the Indian cricket team ahead of the multi-nation tournament where the players hit the closed-door camp in Alur. The players also underwent the fitness Yo-Yo Test and according to PTI, Shubman topped it with an incredible score of 18.7. Shubman did a sensational job considering he has been playing some non-stop cricket in the past few months.

Apart from five cricketers - Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (reserve member for Asia Cup) and KL Rahul, all other Indian players underwent the test and passed the cut-off level of 16.5.

Batting maestro Virat Kohli already confirmed via his Instagram story that he scored 17.2 in the Yo-Yo Test on Thursday.

News18

 

[mominsaigol]

i think he is wrong. fitness is important but you cannot put a super fit guy on the field and expect him to beat someone who is comparatively unfit but has top drawer talent as say Lara, Warne, Shoaib Akhtar.

It is definitely required for the rigors of the game but if I had the option to pick a player for a singular game, or perhaps even a series, I would pick a gifted talent over a super fit mediocre talent.

Fitness isn't about weight lol. You don't need to be thin like kholi to be fit lol.

Dhoni is off a well built physique and he was amoung the best finishers of all time.

Haris sohail isn't obese or anything but his injury have caused his fitness level to be low.

If you followed kholi, Kholi believes that in order to be a good cricketer you need to be fit, fitness means being able to take runs, field well etc.

Obviously if you're super obese you're not doing that but you don't need to be a shan masood Level skinny guy to be fit.

Lastly kholi believes in routine. Routine as in practising in the nets, constantly waking up and practising each day, eating right each day and setting a boring routine for yourself to achieve success.

The atg of the game have all followed a routine, they were eating kfc one night before a match like the akmal brothers use to. You don't need to be thin to be fit, but you need to be fit enough to not be injury prone like haris sohail and be able to do things like run between the wickets and take 2's and 3's consistently. Being thin and healthy is 10x more important for a bowler though.

 

[shamaan]

Kohli is still more fitter than our whole Pakistan team .May be shan can give him some competition

Rizwan will give him some competition alongside Malik.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

rizwan is a super fit guy.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Faf du Plessis hailed Kohli's fitness standards, expressing it in an interaction with a local Indian media outlet:

"He’s amazing, he trains hard, he's very fit. I feel in today's age of sport, you have to be like that if you're looking for longevity. So, he will be a great example."

"The younger generation may feel like they can just come in and rely on their talent. Yes, they are good enough in terms of talent. But in terms of longevity in your body to make sure you can play for as long as possible, fitness will definitely play a role."

 

[AMSS]

If Virat were a fast bowler maybe his opinion would carry some weight.

Batsmen don't need fitness (strength + endurance + flexibility) that many other physical sport require.

Quicks on the other hand need it. With a focus on quads, glutes, hammies like footballers.

 

[pakistani pride]

Its the basis, without it you should not even play or participate in the game.

 

[AMSS]

Its the basis, without it you should not even play or participate in the game.

Poor shane warne

 

[pakistani pride]

Poor shane warne

Shane Warne was actually quite lean and fit later on. Dont look at the 80s and 90s, those were different times. Ranatunga won the WC with 0 fitness skills.