"First cricketer who decided to train like Olympic athlete" - Ex-India coach praises Virat Kohli's fitness standards after batter’s Test retirement

Former Indian men's team strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu has said that Virat Kohli was the first cricketer to decide to train like an Olympic athlete. Terming Kohli as a "very good student", Basu said that the 36-year-old would ask several questions before moving in the direction he was most convinced of.

Basu also said that the batter paved the way for the rest of his teammates to become fitter and more mobile in the field. He told The Times of India:

"He is the first cricketer who decided to train like an Olympic athlete. He didn't want to train with oft-repeated methods, he wanted to do something different. He is a very good student. He will have a lot of questions initially, and once he was convinced he will go in that direction. The sign of a good leader is that first he will turn into a role model, which Virat did with aplomb."

"From there, one by one, the entire team started embracing that culture. The Indian team was an embodiment of fitness over a period. I remember a time when one of the foreign coaches came and asked one of our team members what our team was doing? Virat and the whole bunch are moving like athletes and their agility is unbelievable. But I would say all the credit goes to Virat," Basu added.

Basu included Kohli in the same league as other global sporting icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt, in terms of excellence and passion. He also called the former India captain a "once in a 100 years guy".

"I always make a comparison of Virat Kohli, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Usain Bolt. He falls in the same league with regards to passion, excellence. Don't think he will be happy with a world record; if he has established one, he will try and break that. He is a once in a 100 years guy," Basu said.

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How IPL 2012 emerged as key turning point in changing Virat Kohli's fitness routines

Virat Kohli's journey towards becoming a model athlete in terms of fitness, for others, began after IPL 2012. He decided to make changes to his lifestyle that have helped him become the best in the world.

“I made a lifestyle choice (in 2012). I wanted to explore a new side of my body to take me to the next level because I never wanted to be average. I wanted to be the best in the world. So, I always had that mindset but never had the physical ability (before 2012)," he said (via ESPN Cricinfo).

It was during Virat Kohli's tenure as India captain that the yo-yo test was introduced to understand the fitness standards of players.