New Delhi [India], July 19 : Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi admired Indian veteran batter Virat Kohli's fitness and said he idolises him in that aspect of the sport.
Bishnoi was talking to ANI at a HYROX event in New Delhi on Saturday.
He felt fitness is a source of energy and said you get an extra boost in performance. He's inspired by Kohli's dedication and tries to emulate it in his fitness journey.
While speaking to ANI, Ravi Bishnoi said, "I look up to Virat Bhai [Virat Kohli], he is very fit. You can see his aggression on the field and off the field. When he bats or fields, you can see that energy, which fitness brings to your game, you get an extra push from it. I idolise him in fitness. I can't go to his level, but I try to get close to him."
Bishnoi made his T20I debut for India in February 2022. In the same year, he made his ODI debut as well. In 42 T20 for India, Bishnoi has grabbed 61 wickets at an average of 19.37 and an economy of 7.35.
In 2022 new franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), signed him for Rs 4 crore as one of their pre-auction picks along with KL Rahul.
Bishnoi took 13 wickets in his first season for LSG, playing a big part as they made the playoffs. In his second season with LSG, when the IPL went back to the home-away format, Bishnoi became a key player on the spin-friendly surfaces in Lucknow - he picked up 16 wickets as LSG made it to the playoffs again.
In 2020, Bishnoi went to South Africa for the Under-19 World Cup, where he finished as the leading wicket-taker and helped India reach the final. In the same year, he was picked by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 2 crore at the IPL auction.
Bishnoi also praised the event for promoting fitness culture in India. he said, "I feel it is a very good event because apart from normal fitness, HYROX is bringing fitness culture to India. It is very famous worldwide. It is growing in India as well, and it is a good thing for fitness culture as well here in India."
During the event, participants from all around the world competed. The event started with a 1 km run, followed by 1 functional movement, which repeats 8 times.
HYROX is the ultimate fitness race format that uniquely blends 8 x 1 km runs with 8 functional workouts like SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jumps, Rowing, Farmers Carry, Sandbag Lunges, and Wall Balls.
Bishnoi emphasises the importance of fitness for a longer and more successful career. He highlighted that fitness is crucial for both physical and mental awareness, which is essential in the modern, fast-paced game.
"My focus is on fitness. The more I focus on fitness, the longer my career will be. Fitness helps me to grow further. As you can see, fitness culture has changed over the years. As the game has become faster, the demand for fitness has also increased. It is very important to focus on fitness because you need to maintain mental and physical awareness in everything. That's why fitness is very important," he added.