<p>Bengaluru: Virat Kohli’s unwavering passion for fitness is the secret behind his longevity at top-flight cricket and young cricketers should take a cue from that to build a career of their own, reckoned <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/royal-challengers-bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</a> captain Faf du Plessis.</p><p>Kohli brought in a culture change in the Royal Challengers dressing room during his time as their skipper, making fitness a non-negotiable part of a player’s life.</p><p>“He’s amazing, he trains hard, he's very fit. I feel in today's age of sport, you have to be like that if you're looking for longevity. So, he will be a great example,” Du Plessis told Star Sports.</p>.<p>Du Plessis said talent alone will not help a budding player to construct an extended career at top-level sport.</p><p>“The younger generation may feel like they can just come in and rely on their talent. Yes, they are good enough in terms of talent.</p><p>“But in terms of longevity in your body to make sure you can play for as long as possible, fitness will definitely play a role,” he said.</p>.<p>The former South African captain, himself a gym creature, said <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/virat-kohli">Kohli</a>’s hunger for physical fitness was their connecting point when he joined the franchise in 2022.</p><p>“There are quite a few things that Virat and I are very similar, alike in the way we see the game or think about the game. Obviously (we think about being) athletic, train hard, be fit, eat well.</p><p>“So, we look at a holistic approach to being a professional sportsman. I think that's why we connected so well in my first season at RCB. We were very similar,” he said.</p>.'Shame for series & sport...': Stuart Broad on Virat Kohli's absence against England.<p>Under Du Plessis, the Royal Challengers had reached the playoffs in 2022, while they finished sixth in the previous edition.</p><p>Former India and RCB pacer Varun Aaron, who recently announced his retirement, hoped Kohli would bat in this IPL like he did in 2016, beginning on March 22.</p><p>Kohli scored 973 runs in that season to top the batting charts.</p><p>“I hope he gets back to that kind of form (2016) in this IPL. The IPL is a long season and to continue that form is to be superhuman. During that season, the way he was batting, it was surreal to watch it from the side-lines,” said Aaron. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Virat Kohli’s unwavering passion for fitness is the secret behind his longevity at top-flight cricket and young cricketers should take a cue from that to build a career of their own, reckoned <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/royal-challengers-bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</a> captain Faf du Plessis.</p><p>Kohli brought in a culture change in the Royal Challengers dressing room during his time as their skipper, making fitness a non-negotiable part of a player’s life.</p><p>“He’s amazing, he trains hard, he's very fit. I feel in today's age of sport, you have to be like that if you're looking for longevity. So, he will be a great example,” Du Plessis told Star Sports.</p>.<p>Du Plessis said talent alone will not help a budding player to construct an extended career at top-level sport.</p><p>“The younger generation may feel like they can just come in and rely on their talent. Yes, they are good enough in terms of talent.</p><p>“But in terms of longevity in your body to make sure you can play for as long as possible, fitness will definitely play a role,” he said.</p>.<p>The former South African captain, himself a gym creature, said <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/virat-kohli">Kohli</a>’s hunger for physical fitness was their connecting point when he joined the franchise in 2022.</p><p>“There are quite a few things that Virat and I are very similar, alike in the way we see the game or think about the game. Obviously (we think about being) athletic, train hard, be fit, eat well.</p><p>“So, we look at a holistic approach to being a professional sportsman. I think that's why we connected so well in my first season at RCB. We were very similar,” he said.</p>.'Shame for series & sport...': Stuart Broad on Virat Kohli's absence against England.<p>Under Du Plessis, the Royal Challengers had reached the playoffs in 2022, while they finished sixth in the previous edition.</p><p>Former India and RCB pacer Varun Aaron, who recently announced his retirement, hoped Kohli would bat in this IPL like he did in 2016, beginning on March 22.</p><p>Kohli scored 973 runs in that season to top the batting charts.</p><p>“I hope he gets back to that kind of form (2016) in this IPL. The IPL is a long season and to continue that form is to be superhuman. During that season, the way he was batting, it was surreal to watch it from the side-lines,” said Aaron. </p>