‘We’re not even 15%’: Virat Kohli’s honest admission on the fitness standards of Indian hockey players

Virat Kohli says Indian hockey players are fitter than cricketers (Image: X) Iconic Indian batsman and long-time star of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli recently praised the incredible fitness of Indian hockey players and admitted that cricketers are nowhere near the physical standards required in hockey. His remarks drew widespread acclaim from the Indian hockey community, with players calling it a valuable acknowledgment of the sport’s rigors.Speaking at the third annual RCB Innovation Lab India Sports Summit on Tuesday, Kohli reflected on the importance of fitness in professional sports and explained why he believes fitness should be considered a basic requirement rather than something extraordinary.“I know people sometimes look at fitness as something extraordinary, but to me it’s just what the job requires. It should be the norm, not something celebrated as exceptional,” Kohli said.“Cricket is so paramount in our country that we often overlook other sports,” he added. Kohli then strikingly compared cricket and hockey and admitted that Indian hockey players operate on a completely different physical level.“To be brutally honest, we are not even 15% of the fitness level of an Indian hockey player. If the hockey players were watching our training sessions, they would probably laugh because their sport requires a lot more physically,” remarked Kohli.Reacting to Kohli’s remarks, Harmanpreet Singh, captain of the Indian men’s hockey team, revealed details of a recent interaction he had with the cricket superstar regarding training and fitness standards in hockey.“We had a great conversation about fitness at an event not too long ago. He told me that hockey is such a fast-paced sport and he was curious about our fitness metrics. We talked about the yo-yo test and when I told him that even our goalies score above 20, he was really surprised. We had a great discussion and shared experiences around training and fitness. I’m grateful that someone like Virat Kohsli, one of the most demanding sports players, pays attention fitness players. In the world, such recognition means a lot to the hockey community,” said Harmanpreet.