Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the Indian football team, has drawn parallels between Virat Kohli and Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighting a shared obsession with fitness and continuous self-improvement. Chhetri's insights into Kohli's training mindset reveal a dedication mirroring that of Ronaldo, both driven to constantly raise their standards.
Chhetri, speaking on the DesiPL podcast, revealed that Kohli had been sharing his fitness test scores with him. He found this exchange "addictive" and expressed how inspiring it is to be around such dedicated athletes. "A few days back, he (Kohli) was sending me his scores of one of the tests he was doing. It is so addictive, and it is so good to know these kinds of people. On your bad days when you feel a bit lethargic, you see them and think, 'let's go'. When you are at the top, everyone wants to be a Virat Kohli or Ronaldo, and for these two to keep their place is unbelievable," Chhetri stated.
Kohli's commitment to fitness has been a widely discussed topic in Indian sports for a long time. Chhetri and Kohli, both known for their exceptional fitness levels, have developed a strong bond off the field. They have often met in Bengaluru during the Indian Premier League.
Chhetri emphasized that a key similarity between Kohli and Ronaldo is their relentless pursuit of improvement, never settling for past achievements. "The one common thing about these two is that they are just not happy with what they have already achieved," Chhetri noted. He also spoke on the ability of both athletes to quickly reset and move on from both good and bad days. He has tried to incorporate the same mentality. "I tried in my whatever way to inculcate the same thing because once when you start getting into that circle where you start thinking about what you have done, good or bad, then you are not in the same track that you want to be," Chhetri added.
Kohli has often expressed his admiration for Ronaldo, even switching his football allegiance from Manchester United to Manchester City following Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United in 2022.
While many Indian cricketers underwent fitness assessments at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Kohli completed his tests in London.
