Usman Khawaja, LeBron James
Usman Khawaja says he takes a lot of inspiration from LeBron James. Image Courtesy: Getty

Born in Islamabad, Usman Khawaja is a qualified commercial pilot. He has a bachelor’s degree in aviation but prefers to lift his nation to glory with the willow instead. Not too long back, Usman Khawaja batted for 767 minutes across two innings, helping his side settle for a draw against all the odds against Pakistan. However, in this new era of Australian cricket, Usman is already a star material in his own right.

Usman Khawaja goes the LeBron way

Meanwhile, in his short career so far, the 31-year-old crossed the three-figure mark wearing a baggy green on seven occasions. He amassed a total of 2455 runs from 35 Tests.

Yet one of the most interesting highlights of his career so far would be the way he transformed himself. He sweated hard, put a pin on his fitness regime and lost 10 kgs in the process. The cricketer has taken inspiration from none other than NBA legend, LeBron James. Khawaja is much more equipped to tackle the challenges of Test cricket now.

Usman Khawaja, Australia vs India 2018/19
Usman Khawaja wants to continue to score runs for Australia. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

I wanted to work hard on fitness – Khawaja

“It wasn’t a thing where I was like ‘CA’s coming down on me telling me to lose weight and I have to do it or else I’m not playing’. It wasn’t Big Brother or anything,” he told RSN radio.

“That was probably one part of my game and place that I wanted to work hard on and make sure I was in the right physical shape for international cricket. Training, playing, travelling. I don’t think people realise how much actually goes into the international schedule.” he said.

“I just wanted to make sure that I was the best version of myself. One of my favourite athletes, LeBron James, does that as well as anyone else. I had a good Ashes campaign, but I just felt like it was something I needed to work on at the time. I just started chipping away at it.” he said.

Losing weight doesn’t help you score runs – Khawaja

Usman Khawaja, LeBron James
Usman Khawaja says he has taken inspiration from LeBron James. Image Courtesy: Getty

Running the hard yards and recovery are the essential part of cricket, especially in the longer format. Though he doesn’t like the idea of rushing into the dressing room after spending hours in the field to pad up and gun again; Khawaja admits fitness has played a key role in his game.

“I was actually really surprised with how well I was pulling up after games. Losing weight doesn’t help you particularly score runs. It doesn’t make you a better batter. It’s about the other little things. Being in the field, recovering, running between the wickets.” the opener pointed out.

Meanwhile, there is no clear batting spot in the XI for Khawaja at the moment. If opener Marcus Harris gets a game then Khawaja is likely to bat one down. However, if the selectors go ahead with in-form batter Peter Handscomb, Aaron Finch will see Khawaja starting the proceedings with him.

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The southpaw may well have to rush in a bit than the ideal scenario he has pictured in his mind, but a series against India at home is just what he needs to take his game to the next level.