
India Batter Cheteshwar Pujara remembered that the virat Kohli was the one who instilled in the Indian test team of fitness-first thinking and transformed the way the party approached the longest format of the game. When Pujara, he thought about the influence of Kohl after a surprising retirement of the dough from the test cricket and stressed how the cultural shift began when Kohli took over the captain in 2015.
As Virat Kohli overthrew the curtains on his iconic test careerPujara emphasized how the focus of the former captain on fitness left a strong heritage. Since he became a captain, Kohli made the highest priority and athletics to turn it into a key part of the team culture. When she spoke to ESPN Cricinfo, Pujara stressed how Kohli’s fitness priority formed the new India test side.
“When the team started to lead since 2015, it is the time when it brought fitness culture in the Indian team. All teams tried to work hard on their fitness, but in the Indian team fitness had to improve and that was the time it came,” Pujara said.
“The number of fast -mounting champions who came to the Indian team at that time also had to work on their fitness. The whole team began to work on fitness and at the same time Virat paid a lot of attention to the test format and wanted the team to be one of the best in the world,” he added.
Kohli introduced the popular YO-YO test as a fitness standard that helped set clear expectations and made players more responsible. While other teams have already focused on fitness, Kohli pushed India to take her more seriously than ever before. This change was clearly observed in the rise of the rapid nads of India – a group that could keep the pressure for a long time, especially under overseas conditions.
Pujara remarked how Kohli’s desire to take 20 goals in the test match-time preference, prefers another pitch over the body-created an aggressive, result of oriented mentality. This thinking demanded that players be physically and mentally sharp, with fields, body language and perseverance to take care of the center. Kohli’s own fitness discipline has set the tone for the rest of the group.
“Since he was in charge, he always wanted to take 20 goals. So the intensity in the field was very important. And for every player to take these 20 goals, it was important that everyone met and then we started working on the finish,” he added.
The impact was deep. Under Kohl, India won 40 tests-the Indian Captain-in Australia, in Australia, a series of back-to-back and constantly challenging the top teams away from home. His captain was not just about running or a decision to lead; It was about redefining the Indian identity in the cricket of a red ball.
As India moves into a new phase, Pujar’s reflections are a reminder of Kohli’s lasting impact. Fitness standards, work ethics and revolution with fast bowling that can be seen today can be traced back to the Vision Kohli-Vizi, which reimaginated the Indian place in the modern era of the test cricket.
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
13 May 2025