Virat Kohli is a fitness icon in the field of sports. The player is set to turn 37 next month, but nothing of it feels like the case when he steps on the ground. The energy with which Kohli plays every game is still intact to what one would have observed 10 to 15 years ago. Kohli is a gun fielder, as well as a superb sprinter between the wickets during batting. In a recent podcast, Australia pacer Kane Richardson heaped praise on the fitness of the India batter. He recalled the batter's gritty ODI knock against Australia under the scorching heat of Kolkata in 2017.
"I remember there was a game in Kolkata where it was so hot. Matty Wade (Matthew Wade) was keeping - I remember he literally threw up as I was running in," said Richardson on a podcast shared by cricket.com.au.
"I remember Patty Cummins was sitting on an Esky (cooler box) on the side of the field. Zamps was giving him a drink and I was like, 'Someone is running into bowl,' and Zamps goes, 'Patty, the bowler's running in.' And he's like, 'I know,' still just sitting there. If the ball got hit to him, he'd just get up," he added.
Kohli scored 92 runs off 107 balls in the game. He smashed 32 runs through boundaries and piled up the rest 60 through running between the wickets. Kohli stayed in the middle for around two and a half hours during his knock.
"We were literally dying and he is clipping a one or a two and running it like he's on a treadmill in air conditioning," Richardson said.
"You speak to anyone that was there that day - there's footage of guys wearing ice necklaces, and no one had colour in their face. No one was speaking. If you got a wicket, it was just complete silence because no one had energy.
"That wouldn't be one that sticks out to many people in terms of being the most high-profile," Richardson said. "But I just remember, that was when I was like - this guy's a completely different level, no matter the condition."
India posted a total of 252 in the game and then bundled out Australia for 202, winning the game by 50 runs.