Australian pacer Kane Richardson reflected on star batter Virat Kohli's supreme fitness levels during his tenure as India’s captain eight years ago. Taking over the ODI leadership from MS Dhoni in 2017, Kohli enjoyed one of his most prolific years in 50-over cricket, consistently dismantling bowling attacks across the globe, marking a dominant era for Indian cricket on the international arena.
Richardson recalled the second ODI of Australia’s 2017 tour of India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, describing
how Kohli governed the proceedings despite the sweltering heat, while several Australian players were exhausted and struggling to stay on their feet.
“I remember there was a game in Kolkata where it was so hot. It was that hot, I can’t describe how hot this day was. I don’t think he (Kohli) made a 100 that day, I reckon he got a 90-odd. But, again, like we are literally dying and he is like clipping a one or a two and running it like he’s on a treadmill in air conditioning. You speak to anyone who was there that day and no one was speaking. Even if you get a wicket, there was complete silence because no one had energy. Virat had energy,” said Richardson in a video shared by cricket.com.au.
“I remember bowling and Matty (Matthew) Wade threw up as I was running in, it was so hot. I remember Patty [Pat Cummins] was sitting on an esky on the side of the field. Zampa was giving him a drink and someone was running in to bowl and Zamps was like, ‘Patty, bowler is running in to bowl’. He is like, ‘I Know’ and he is still just sitting on the esky off the field and if the ball got to him, he’d get up. But I remember it because that was when I was like this guy is at a completely different level, no matter the conditions,” he added.
Speaking about that memorable match, the Men in Blue were powered by Kohli’s 92-run knock before posting a total of 252 on the board. The Australian side, struggling in the intense Kolkata heat, fell short by 50 runs as Kuldeep Yadav claimed a sensational hat-trick to seal the win. India went on to clinch the five-match series 4-1.
That year marked one of Kohli’s finest phases in ODI cricket. In 2017, he amassed 1469 runs in 26 50-over games at an outstanding average of 76.84. He continued his remarkable form the following year, scoring 1202 runs in 2018, garnering runs at a mind-boggling 133.65.
Next up, the ace batter is set to extend his long-standing rivalry against the Australians as India begin their three-match ODI series Down Under in Perth on Sunday, October 19. While there are lingering questions about Kohli’s current competitive form, there are no doubts about his exceptional fitness, which continues to set benchmarks even at this stage of his career.
