For every Indian cricketer of this generation, Sachin
Tendulkar is the de facto idol. The Master Blaster’s influence has left an ever-lasting
impression on the cricketing fraternity. For India captain Virat Kohli, Sachin
Tendulkar has always been an idol – but he has found another one in Tests.
The U19 World Cup-winning captain wasn’t always as good as
he is now in Test cricket. However, ever since taking up captaincy of the
nation, his rise has been astronomical and he is now reaping the rewards of it.
When asked about his massive transformation, he stated that
he and the rest of the team fell in awe of Chesteshwar Pujara’s ability to bat
for long periods and that he drew inspiration from it.
“We have all learnt from his (Pujara) long innings, his
concentration levels and his will to keep batting,” Kohli enthused.
“So I also got inspired by that to keep batting for the team
for as long as possible.
"Now I only think of how I can play more for the team
and then you know, you don't feel the tiredness and anything else and keep
carrying on looking at the situation,"
The 29-year-old then went on to reveal the importance of
taking care of the body by spending time in the gym and eating a nutritious
diet, something that allows him to keep his intensity at an optimum level.
"We know as professional cricketers, we don't have many
years,” Kohli said.
“So, we have to make the most of it and I try to stay as fit
as possible, take care of my diet, take care of my training and it's paid off
well till now.
“In the latter half of my career, as we all know it's going
to get more difficult. So, I'm trying to put in as much as possible in training
now and later on, I can still manage to keep the same kind of intensity.”
However, the captain gave an optimistic outlook of the
future and believes that the dedication of the team in training can be seen on
how they play on the ground.
"But I think we all are training so hard now and it's
showing on the field and I am just trying to do the same."
Team India weren’t really known for their fielding, but ever since the captain’s mantle was taken by MS Dhoni, the team gradually improved
as a fielding unit. With Virat’s taking over the reins of the steeds, the team
have further improved their work on the field and are perhaps the best fielding unit in the world.
