The former skipper is widely regarded to have raised the fitness standards of Indian cricket.
‘Go after one of us, and all 11 will come after you.’
More than the cricketing class which was always there, what Virat Kohli brought to Indian cricket was the hunger to be the fittest in the world. Virat Kohli at the helm was different gravy. After he took over as India’s skipper, the way cricket was going to be played was absolutely clear. Suddenly, tours to Australia and England were fiery and the Indians no longer feared looking into the eye of the Aussies.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, in a recent interview, spoke about Virat Kohli’s fiery attitude while he led the team. For a player who was always aggressive from the outset, it took some time for him to mellow down a bit. Shastri got to work with Kohli closely in his tenure, and the duo is regarded as the best India had in Test cricket, to say the least.
Under Virat Kohli as captain, the team implemented the yo-yo test, which was used as a measure to determine a player’s fitness capabilities in terms of stamina and aerobic strength. The focus was always on being the fittest, something that Kohli had learnt after his tour to Australia in 2011/12. He spoke about the Australian players moved better because they were much lighter on their feet.
The partnership between Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri led India to some of the greatest achievements in Test cricket. Under Kohli, India won their first-ever Test series on Australian soil. To add to that, the team also conquered the Test mace for five consecutive years, with consistent performances all around the globe.
The former Indian head coach spoke about a lot of aspects from his tenure with Kohli. However, what stood out was the latter’s ability to be crystal clear with his players in terms of what he needed out of them – in terms of fitness. Running between the wickets along with Kohli was one of the most excruciating tasks for a player.
Shastri revealed how Kohli would keeps tabs on how a player is running between the wickets. If a certain player was being lazy in running between the wickets, the former India skipper would soon find out and ask him to focus more on his fitness. It was because of these ethics that the Indians started taking fitness extremely seriously.
“If you are looking for a second run and if you are panting, and if he [Virat Kohli] is looking for a third and you are yet to complete your second, immediately the message would be ‘get to that bloody gym and start training, and get fitter'”, said Shastri describing Kohli’s attitude towards fitness.
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It is no secret that Virat Kohli was intense on the field. One of the greatest examples would be his celebrations after getting a wicket. The 36-year-old would be ecstatic after the event and had not filters whatsoever in expressing his happiness and celebrating it with his teammates on the field. He was all fire and no ice!
However, Shastri stated that there were moments when he had to chip in and keep Kohli at bay. The former skipper would pounce out of his seat to go out to bat after a wicket fell, and the 1983 World Cup winner would have to tell Kohli to let the dismissed batter come close to the boundary at least, before he could walk out to bat.
“If a wicket went down, he would jump out of his seat. I would say, calm down. Let him [the dismissed batter] come half-way at least. Don’t meet him where he’s just 10 yards away from the stumps. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, ready to get out there and punch. That’s Virat for you”, said the former head coach.
Though Kohli was not able to put his hands on an ICC trophy as skipper, the way he led the Indian team would always be remembered for the standards he set. Over the years, the RCB batter has surely mellowed down a bit in his demeanour. He would be in action again for the three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19.
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