“He was ready to punch his teammates” - Ravi Shastri makes an interesting revelation involving Virat Kohli

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed that the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli, didn’t tolerate poor fitness or laziness on the field of his teammates during his captaincy days. 

Speaking exclusively on the LiSTNR Sport podcast, Shastri also asserted that it’s very important to be fit enough while running between the wickets under Kohli’s captaincy, showing no mercy towards his teammates when it comes to fitness standards. 

"If you're running between the wickets, and if you're a lazy bugger, you will soon find out. If you are looking for a second run and if you're panting, and if he's looking for a third and you're yet to complete the second, immediately the message would be 'get to that bloody gym and start training, and get fitter'," Shastri said on the LiSTNR Sport podcast.

Shastri made a massive revelation, saying that there were various instances when Kohli was ready to punch his own teammates if they made a mistake on the field, adding that he had to intervene more often than not

Furthermore, Shastri also recalled that there were a lot of instances when he used to calm Kohli down, as he used to be like a cat on a hot tin roof, ready to get out there and punch his teammates in terms of poor fitness standards. 

"At times, I had to calm him down. If a wicket went down, he would jump out of his seat. I would say, 'Calm down. Let him cross halfway at least. Don't meet him when he's just 10 yards away from the stumps, you know. Come near the boundary line, then cross him'. He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, ready to get out there and punch him. That's Virat for you," he added.

Notably, Virat Kohli is all set to make his international comeback for the first time since the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025. Interestingly, the upcoming three-match ODI series vs Australia will be the first time since the IPL 2025 season that Kohli will play professional cricket.

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