Credit for my fitness transformation goes to Shanker Basu, attests Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has asserted that Shanker Basu was the reason behind his transformation and it was the former India and RCB trainer who pushed him to do weight lifting. Kohli has also revealed that even though he was a bit hesitant at the beginning, results started to show gradually in three weeks.
The fitness revolution that Virat Kohli managed to bring about has not only rubbed on his teammates but started to become a default part of Indian sports culture, with sportsmen and women across disciplines looking up to him as an inspiration. However, it was not always like that as Kohli, a chubby Delhi boy, adhered to a disciplined lifestyle which came with sudden fame and recognition. When Shanker Basu happened to him, the trainer managed to shed a few pounds off the Delhi boy with his rigorous and unique training methods for which Kohli is indebted to him.
"It (fitness and training) is everything for me, I would not take credit for it, for me the biggest factor for my career going in another template has to be Shankar Basu. After that, he worked with me on my diet, I started paying attention to what was happening with my body, that's when I realised that because of my genes, I have to work twice or thrice on my body, I am doing the basic thing which my career requires me to do," Kohli told Sunil Chhetri during their Instagram Live.
"Till the time I am playing the sport, I will be a maniac, if you are playing for the country, you have to work hard, if you cannot do that, then you should step away."
During the conversation with Indian football captain, Kohli slipped into his admiration for the beautiful game and how much he looks forward to Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of his work ethic and the confidence level. He recalled a Champions League match between Juventus and Atletico Madrid when the latter had come back from a 2-0 deficit in the second leg to go through to the quarterfinal thanks to a Ronaldo hat-trick.
"There are lots of people who look extremely good on the field but to turn up for big matches that regularly, Cristiano stands out. Like he went to Juventus and Champions League game, they lost 2-0 and then prior to return leg, he asked all his friends and family to come and watch the game saying 'it is going to be a special night' and then to play like that, score a hat-trick and take them through, unbelievable.
“That conviction for a guy to say that we are going to go through and score a hat-trick. That for me is a beast mentality. In the world of sport, there are very few people who can claim to have that kind of a mentality. That mental strength for me is inspiring every time,” Kohli added.