Paddy Upton Reveals What Triggered A Change In Virat Kohli's Career

On the 2nd of April 2011, the Indian cricket team under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni realised the nation’s 28-year-old dream of winning the fifty-over World Cup. MS Dhoni’s six off Nuwan Kulasekera remains one of the most iconic moments in the history of Indian cricket.

But there was another moment that not only caught everyone’s’ eyes but also gave a sneak-peak into the future when the youngest member of the squad, 22-year-old Virat Kohli, in a post-match interview to Nasser Hussain said that Sachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, and it’s time he and his teammates carry him on their shoulders.

It was a real passing of the baton moment in Indian cricket as the precocious young talent, courtesy his insatiable desire to score runs against the best in the world, went on to become one of the greats of the game. Apart from all the runs that Kohli has scored thus far, it is his fitness that forms a part of his legacy.

Also Read: MS Dhoni Was A Strong, Silent Type As A Leader- Paddy Upton

Paddy Upton on what triggered a change in Virat Kohli’s fitness

But, it was not like that from the outset. Nicknamed as “Cheeku”, Kohli wasn’t the fittest of blokes going around when he burst onto the scene in 2008 but the realization of the same is what triggered a drive in the current Indian captain to become the fittest athlete on the planet.

Also Read: Paddy Upton Opens Up On How And When India’s 2011 World Cup Preparation Started

“I’m guessing one of the turning points came when Virat realised he was slightly overweight and only averagely fit, and that 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. 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 highly talented cricketer, who was genuinely delivering on his talent,” Paddy Upton, Team India’s former mental and health-conditioning coach revealed in an exclusive interview to Times of India.

Kohli, has since then gone on to become a role model for every aspiring athlete in the country. The Indian captain, in a recent chat with Kevin Pieterson also revealed the reason behind him going vegan in 2018 and how that was the best thing that has ever happened to him.