Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently opened up about Virat Kohli’s unwavering commitment to fitness and his insistence on high standards during his tenure as captain across all formats. Shastri highlighted that Kohli, always leading by example, expected every player to maintain peak fitness and did not tolerate anyone falling behind. Players who were slow between the wickets or showed signs of sluggishness often came under Kohli’s scrutiny, receiving direct instructions to improve.
“He would show them up otherwise. Because if you’re running between the wicket, and if you’re a lazy bugger, you will soon find out. If you are looking for a second run and if you’re panting, and if he’s looking for a third and you’re yet to complete the second, immediately the message would be ‘get to that bloody gym and start training, and get fitter’,” Shastri shared on the LiSTNR Sport podcast.
When Shastri Had to Calm Kohli
While Kohli’s intensity helped India dominate in Tests and secure the Border-Gavaskar Trophy twice on Australian soil, Shastri recalled instances where he had to step in to prevent Kohli from overreacting to on-field errors.
“At times, I had to calm him down. If a wicket went down, he would jump out of his seat. I would say, ‘Calm down. Let him cross half-way at least. Don’t meet him when he’s just 10 yards away from the stumps, you know. Come near the boundary line, then cross him’. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, ready to get out there and punch him. That’s Virat for you,” Shastri added.
Kohli Gearing Up for ODI Resumption
Virat Kohli is preparing for India’s three-match ODI series against Australia, which begins on October 19 in Perth. Although he has retired from T20Is and Tests, Kohli is determined to continue performing in ODIs and intends to play through to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. Following the Australia tour, India will also take on South Africa and New Zealand in ODI series, keeping Kohli actively engaged at the international level.
India’s ODI Squad for Australia Series:
India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.Australia’s ODI Squad for India Series:
Australia’s ODI Squad for India Series:
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc