Virat Kohli emphasised on fitness and said that if a player wants to achieve his goals, he needs to be physically fit. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
Virat Kohli said that whatever he has achieved so far is all because of the sport and he wants to contribute in each and every way in the betterment of the same. The Indian skipper feels that youngsters now spend a lot of time on gadgets instead of spending time on the field.
“Kids nowadays days spend more time on phones and i-pads. In our days, we used to be out and spend more time playing some on the fields, streets. I remember in my childhood, if anyone of my friend had an imported game, we used to plan that one day we all will go to his house and play,” he said at an event in New Delhi.
Kohli and RP-SG chairman Sanjiv Goenka have joined hands to launch Indian sports Awards to honour sports-person for their outstanding achievements.
Virat Kohli ruled himself out of the contention for the awards. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
Kohli, who continues to get better by the day, emphasised on fitness and said that if a player wants to achieve his goals, he needs to be physically fit. Ever since making his international debut in 2008, Kohli has proved his worth across all formats with the bat. The 28-year old said that more cricketers should come up and help India achieve the tag of a ‘sporting nation’.
“With another 8-10 years of cricket more left in me, I want to keep my game at the peak. We limit ourselves even before we try. Most of the people stopped at 70 per cent, so we need to push until it’s done. Thus, I want to contribute to the betterment of the sports until I am connected to the same.”
“So, I really train hard in my cricket life because rest of the life I won’t be playing sports. So, we need to make the most of the day. Small things matter to me. What I eat, how I train etc,” he added.
With Pullela Gopichand heading the jury, the Indian skipper credited the national badminton coach for helping Indian shuttlers soar higher.
“If you see, many athletes from different sports have done well. I remember as a kid, we watched Gopichand’s world championship on Doordarshan. And after that, we have seen so much improvement in badminton circuit. In last 4-5 years, shuttlers have brought so many medals and it feels good watching them play.” Kohli said.
Virat Kohli pledged that his foundation will contribute with Rs 2 crore every year on the beneficiaries of the scholarships. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
Kohli announced that he will be contributing Rs 2 crore every year so that no athlete misses out an opportunity to represent the country and also said that there is a need for awareness in India where people are acquainted with acknowledge in multiple sports and do not remain limited to a single game.
“Unlike other countries where people understand all the sports as they are keenly involved, people in India do not have proper knowledge of multiple sports. Growing up in India, I admit I did not have proper knowledge of any other sports. I did not know the rules of any other sport. So, five to 10 years down the line it will be an honour for me to see India dominate all the sports at the highest platforms” Kohli concluded.
