Recalling his journey to becoming one of the fittest athletes in the world, Virat Kohli recalled how his mother Saroj was initially not happy with his gruelling regime.
The India skipper was spotted in a new look as the Board of Control for Cricket in India shared the teaser of the new episode of Open Nets with Mayank on its Twitter handle.
The BCCI captioned the video: ‘Moms be like. Listen in to what @imVkohli’s mother thought of him when he started his fitness regime.’
India team-mate Mayank Agarwal asked Virat if he remembered any conversation with his mom or any family member over his fitness regime.
‘My mom used to tell me that I am becoming weak. I think that’s a very regular thing any mother would say,’ Virat recalled.
‘Tu bada kamjor ho gaya hai, tu kuch khata hi nahi hai (You have become very weak, you don’t eat anything),’ Virat remembered his mum telling him.
‘They (mothers) didn’t understand the difference between having concern and having professionalism towards the sport you’re playing. For them, if the child is not looking chubby, there’s something wrong with him!’ Virat said, asserting a universal fact about Indian mothers.
His mother, Virat said, would often tell him that he was looking sick and added that it was both, funny and annoying.
‘So I was always like I’m not sick! I’m doing this because I want to play! It was so difficult to convince her!’ Virat added.‘It was funny at times, but it was also annoying at times because you are following a regime. I would wake up and my mother would say, “Tu toh beemaar lag raha hai! (you’re looking sick!). It was so tough when I would see something delicious on my table. But yeah, good times!’
Virat has redefined fitness for cricketers the world over. Maintaining high fitness is a part of the captain’s everyday existence.