Updated April 8th, 2020 at 18:18 IST

Virat Kohli was only talented until he realised he was 'slightly overweight': Paddy Upton

India's 2011 WC coach Paddy Upton believes captain Virat Kohli's attitude towards fitness after being slightly overweight made him the batsman he is today.

Reported by: Sreehari Menon
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Former Rajasthan Royals coach Paddy Upton believes Team India captain Virat Kohli turned his career around after realising he was slightly overweight. Upton was the strength and mental conditioning coach of the Indian cricket team that lifted the 2011 World Cup at home. The former coach believes that Virat Kohli's attitude towards his fitness and the resulting changes in his game made him one of the very best in the business. 

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2011 World Cup-winning coach Paddy Upton believes being slightly overweight brought about a change in Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was part of the victorious MS Dhoni-led 2011 World Cup squad and Paddy Upton talked about the change in the current India captain's fitness levels in an interview with The Times of India. Upton believes that Kohli's attitude towards his fitness played a key role in his transformation to being one of the best in the world. He said that Virat Kohli realised that he was slightly overweight and averagely fit. The Delhi batsman realised that to be the best in the world, he will have to improve his fitness drastically and his attitude to make the change took him from being just another talented cricketer to someone who lived up to his potential.

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2011 World Cup-winning coach Paddy Upton talks about the difference in MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's captaincy

Paddy Upton also revealed what makes Virat Kohli different from his predecessor MS Dhoni. Upton reveals that MS Dhoni is silent and level headed whereas Kohli wears his heart on the sleeve. He said that Virat Kohli is energetic at all times and has the ability to pump up his team. He added that it also means Kohli could undermine their confidence as well just as easily. Virat Kohli took over the captaincy in Tests from MS Dhoni after his sudden retirement in 2014, before taking the reigns across all formats in 2017. 

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IPL 2020 postponed: When will IPL 2020 start?

Fans will have to wait to see MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in action after the IPL 2020 was postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Originally slated to begin on March 29, the IPL was postponed to April 15 as a precaution to stop the community spread of the virus. However, with the growing number of CVOID-19 cases in the country, it is unlikely that the tournament will kick off on the scheduled date and an announcement of further delay or cancellation is expected to be on the cards. 

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Published April 8th, 2020 at 18:18 IST