Virat Kohli is widely considered as the best batsmen of his generation and is one of the fittest cricketers in the world right now. But it was not always the case as the current Indian captain was just a chubby-cheeked 22-year-old youngster when he won the World Cup in 2011 under the stewardship of MS Dhoni. And India’s strength and mental conditioning coach at that time, Paddy Upton has said that Kohli’s transformation from a slightly overweight cricketer to a fitness freak is the reason for his meteoric rise. Virat Kohli’s Gestures Have Helped Build Team Spirit, Says Sunil Gavaskar.

Speaking to The Times of India, Upton said ‘I’m guessing one of the turning points came when Virat realized he was slightly overweight and only averagely fit, and if he wanted to be one of the best in the world, he needed to also be one of the physically fittest in the world.’ Anushka Sharma And Virat Kohli Have Their Gaming Mode On As They Play Monopoly With Family During Lockdown (View Pic).

‘This change in attitude around his fitness, was one of the turning points and taking him from a highly talented cricketer who was cruising along, to a cricketer who was genuinely delivering in his talent’ Upton added.

‘I highlight that it was not so much his change in fitness that directly translated to his rise to the top, but his attitude towards his fitness and thus to himself and his game, that was the real catalyst to go from good to great.’ Upton said further.

Virat Kohli took over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in 2014 and became the skipper in the other two formats (ODIs and T20Is) in January 2017. When Upton was asked about the difference in the style of captaincy between Kohli and Dhoni, Upton said ‘Dhoni is the strong silent type, who is very level-headed and Kohli is the emotional type.’

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2020 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).