Tamil Nadu cricketer Sai Sudharsan reflected on Virat Kohli’s well-known interview with journalist Graham Bensinger, discussing the Indian captain’s journey of fitness transformation.
Sudharsan, recently selected for his first ODI stint with India in the South African tour, is currently participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Tamil Nadu. Despite tallying only 160 runs in four innings during the tournament, the southpaw has been in exceptional form in the Indian domestic cricket scene.
In the earlier part of the year, Sudharsan delivered an outstanding performance during the 2023 IPL season with the Gujarat Titans (GT), amassing 362 runs in eight matches with an impressive average of 51.71 and a striking rate of 141.41.
His remarkable inning of 96 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final nearly propelled GT to secure consecutive titles. Regrettably, they experienced a heart-wrenching loss in a thrilling last-ball encounter.
In an interview with India Today, Sai Sudharsan remembered how his mother and strength and conditioning trainer, Usha, encouraged him to watch Kohli’s interview amid the COVID lockdown.
“That interview of Virat Kohli with Graham Bensinger was quite popular,” Sudharsan said. “In separate videos, he would be talking about his journey.”
”That video definitely made a huge impact. In that video, he said that he used to see himself in the mirror and visualise the kind of person he wanted to be.”
“That video really helped me as well. I really got motivated a lot. It was lockdown time and it was really helpful, I started training really well.”
Kohli has set the benchmark for numerous emerging Indian cricketers when it comes to fitness.
Sai Sudharsan hails from a family deeply rooted in sports, with his father, R Bharadwaj, having represented India in sprinting at the 1993 South Asian Games, and his mother, Usha, being a former Volleyball player.
“He saw me and said, ‘Hey Sai, how are you?'”- Sai Sudarshan
Sai Sudharsan remembered his first meeting with Virat Kohli in the 2022 IPL season, where the star batsman quickly recognized him. Although he had just started playing domestic cricket in late 2021, the Gujarat Titans signed him during the mega auction for the 2022 season.
He participated in five games, maintaining an average of over 36, contributing to GT’s successful campaign that resulted in them winning the trophy in their debut season.
“The first time I met him two years back in the IPL, I just went to shake hands with him. But he recognised me and asked me ‘Sai, how are you?’. That was very special for me. The first time he saw me, he called my name.”
“Yeah, the feeling of sharing the dressing room with someone I grew up watching, someone who inspired me gives me happiness. I am hoping to really learn a lot if I do share the dressing room with him,” recalled Sudharsan.
As Team India aims to reconstruct their ODI team for the 2027 World Cup, Sai Sudharsan is eager to seize his chance. The team is scheduled to engage in three T20Is against South Africa, commencing on December 10, followed by a three-match ODI series and two Tests.
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