Rohit Sharma is “bulky”, but he is “as fit as Virat Kohli”, says the BCCI strength and conditioning coach Ankit Kaliyar.
Rohit Sharma often gets trolled by a section of fans for how he looks from the outside, regarding his weight, and sometimes a bit of extra belly. However, Ankit Kaliyar, who has worked with the current and former Indian skippers, says that Rohit is a completely fit player and always passes the yo-yo test.
In an interview with Times Of India, the BCCI strength and conditioning coach, Ankit Kaliyar, said: “Rohit Sharma is a fit player. He has good fitness. He looks a bit bulky but he always passes the Yo-Yo test. He is as fit as Virat Kohli. He looks like he is bulky but we have seen him on the field. His agility and mobility is amazing. He is among the fittest cricketers.”
Virat Kohli is the fittest player in the Indian team and the world
Ankit Kaliyar hailed Virat Kohli as the fittest player not just in the Indian team, but among all cricketers in the world.
Kaliyar heaped praise on the former Test captain for bringing a wave of change in the fitness standards of the Indian players.
“Virat Kohli is the fittest player in the Indian team and the world. The reason behind that is that he’s following a strict schedule. Whether he’s playing or not, he follows or takes care of his nutrition, training, supplementation, and conditioning part really well. He is very religious about his regime and routine. He’s the fittest athlete in India and throughout the world.”
When the Delhi-born took over the captaincy reins in 2015, he brought in the yo-yo test to assess the fitness of his players. With Kohli himself recording high scores on the yo-yo tests, other players followed him and took inspiration. There is no better example of this than Mohammed Shami, the fast bowler who often was injured until 2015, but has rarely missed Test matches since then.
“Virat is a leading example when it comes to fitness. He has created a culture of fitness in the team. When your top player is so fit, then you become an example for others. He injects confidence in others. When he was the captain, he ensured everyone remained fit.
“Fitness was his top parameter in the team. He has created that culture and discipline in the team. That atmosphere was created by Virat bhai and it’s a commendable thing. He is the reason why all the Indian players are so fit,” Kaliyar added.
