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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's batting maestro Virat Kohli heaped immense praise on exceptional fitness levels of Indian hockey players. He candidly admitted that cricketers fall short of matching the grueling physical standards required in professional hockey. Kohli's comments have been met with widespread appreciation across the Indian hockey community, with players welcoming his remarks as valuable and much-deserved recognition for the incredibly demanding nature of their sport.
Virat Kohli on Indian hockey players' fitness levels
Kohli shared these reflections during the third edition of the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit on May 19. While discussing the critical role of conditioning in professional athletics, he emphasized a shift in mindset, explaining that elite fitness should be viewed as a fundamental, baseline requirement for any athlete rather than an extraordinary achievement.
"I know people sometimes look at fitness as something extraordinary, but for me it's simply what the job demands. It should be the norm, not something celebrated as special. Cricket is in such prime focus in our country that we often overlook other sports," Kohli said.
'If hockey players watched our training sessions, they'd probably laugh'
In a striking comparison between the two sports, Kohli admitted that Indian hockey players operate at a completely different physical level than cricketers. He highlighted the intense, non-stop demands of hockey, pointing out that the sheer endurance and athleticism required on the turf far exceed the physical expectations placed on cricket players.
"If I'm being brutally honest, we are not even 15% of the fitness of an Indian hockey player. If hockey players watched our training sessions, they'd probably laugh because their sport demands far more physically," he remarked.
In response to Kohli's high praise, Harmanpreet Singh, the captain of the Indian men's hockey team, shared insights from a recent interaction between the two sports icons. Harmanpreet revealed that they had discussed the rigorous training regimens and elite fitness standards unique to professional hockey. The hockey skipper expressed his appreciation for the mutual respect, noting how encouraging it was to hear a global cricket superstar acknowledge the sheer physicality and stamina required to compete at the highest level on the turf.
"We had a great conversation around fitness not too long ago at an event. He told me hockey is such a fast sport and was curious to know about our fitness benchmarks. We spoke about the yo-yo test and when I told him that even our goalkeepers score above 20, he was genuinely surprised. We had a wonderful discussion and shared experiences around training and fitness. I am grateful that someone like Virat Kohli brought attention to the fitness standards of hockey players because ours is one of the fastest and most physically demanding sports in the world. Recognition like this means a lot to the hockey community," Harmanpreet stated.
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