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In 2011, Virat Kohli, as a youngster, had worked with Paddy Upton, who is currently with the Indian Men's Hockey Team as a mental conditioning coach. Upton considered hockey players fitter than the cricketers, hoping that Kohli's fitness would meet them. And now, Virat Kohli, as a senior cricketer and being the utmost example of fitness, echoes the same. Rather, he considered the hockey player 15% fitter than the cricketers.

Hockey, unlike cricket, demands high intensity, with players moving no matter whether the ball is on the stick or not. Kohli acknowledged the effort and felt that the hockey players would probably laugh at the cricketers' training sessions. Speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, Virat said,

“I know people sometimes look at fitness as something extraordinary, but for me, it is what the job demands. It should be the norm, not something celebrated as special."

He added,

"Cricket is in such prime focus in our country that we often overlook other sports. If I am being honest, we aren’t even 15% of the fitness of an Indian hockey player. If the hockey players watch our training sessions, they would laugh because their sport demands far more."

Read also: 'No One's Really Asked Me This Question Ever': Virat Kohli Opens Up on Burnout and Mental Pressure During India Captaincy

Virat Kohli's remark has been loved by the Indian hockey team as players appreciated him. The star Indian midfielder Hardik Singh acknowledged Virat's contribution to the Indian cricket and said,

“Virat Kohli has performed for India under immense pressure for years and has set standards for fitness that athletes across sports look up to. So when someone of his stature says this, it means a lot to the hockey community."