As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with sports stars on the anniversary of Fit India movement, PM questioned India cricket captain Virat Kohli about his fitness routine via video conferencing at the “Fit India Dialogue” today. PM’s curiosity to know whether the skipper misses Delhi’s favourite “chhole bhature” is trending. Virat Kohli leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore team who is currently on tour in Dubai for the IPL tournament, admitted that he had to accept many changes for the sake of physical fitness and a good diet. “I don’t mind missing practice but I feel bad if my miss my fitness session,” said the captain.
PM jokingly remarked, “This mantra (fitness) must have meant a huge loss for Delhi’s Chhole Bhature!” after knowing about the Kohli’s tough and rigid fitness rules. Virat Kohli smiling in agreement said, “Back in our native region, we had simple home-cooked food and people were rarely sick. But we grew up in the city and often had unhealthy eating habits. For my physical fitness, my diet had to change.”
“We do miss some food, but it is all about priority, about what we value more. We have to be aware of what we are eating. People need to know what they want from their diet and their fitness plan,” further added the batting star. Kohli even stressed heavily on mental fitness for the team’s performance as a whole.
Watch the fun banter between India’s favourite sporting star and the Prime Minister:
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Sharing the fitness mantra with the PM, Kohli further added, “The way we used to play the game changed very rapidly. The game was moving ahead fast, and while we were on top on the skill, I feel we were lacking in terms of fitness. Earlier, our performance used to dip because of the lack of fitness…But that is what we have been focusing on for a while now. We give fitness top priority.”
Other sportspersons like Paralympics gold medalist javelin thrower, Devendra Jhajharia, woman footballer from Jammu and Kashmir, Afshan Ashiq, actor and fitness promoter Milind Soman, nutrition and exercise science expert, Rujuta Diwekar, Yoga guru Swami Shivadhayanam Saraswati, and National Organising Secretary, Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, Mukul Kanitkar also participated in the event being held through video conferencing.
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