Former Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis believes his team is not far behind Virat Kohli in terms of fitness

Former Pakistan fast-bowler Waqar Younis is of the opinion that his team is not far behind Indian skipper Virat Kohli with regards to fitness. The Indian skipper is known as one of the fittest cricketers in the world.

A look at Virat Kohli’s Instagram handle shows how dedicated he is towards this aspect of the sport. The 31-year-old fitness mantra has been embraced by the whole cricket team and by other teams as well. From India fielding coach R Sridhar to physio Patrick Farhart, all have expressed admiration for the Indian skipper.

Even former Pakistan legend Waqar Younis has agreed to the same in an interview last month, in which the former pacer had stated that Kohli has brought a difference to the game with his commitment towards fitness.

“Virat Kohli has evolved the game and all the formats of the modern-day cricket including T20 Cricket, one day suits him a lot and he is brilliant at test matches. But the biggest difference he brought to cricket that is followed and watched worldwide is his fitness,” Younis had said while interacting with fans on the Twitter.

“He has set a bar of fitness worldwide, for players, I think it is hard to beat. I think for that reason also, you like everything about Virat Kohli. He is fit, he is always in your face, he wants to prove you that he is the best, he is a fighter, so that is why, we all like him,” Waqar added.

Now, during a virtual interaction with media this month, the former Pakistan pacer was asked if Pakistan players can match up to Kohli’s leevel of fitness.

Responding to that the former Pakistan bowler said: “There is no doubt that there are too many cricketers who are fit. There are three formats when you play all three formats you have to maintain fitness standards. He (Virat) is one of the top athletes in the country. Our boys are not behind.”

“You take Babar Azam, he is very fit. He is also delivering goods. Shaheen Shah Afridi is super fit. We will set our own bar, we not copy someone else. We will set the bar that suits Pakistan cricket and will take the team forward,” Waqar added.

“But right now in the training camp they are getting better and we are working hard on ensuring their fitness levels meet those standards required in world cricket,” he further said.

Pakistan will play three Tests and 3 T20Is against the three lions with the first Test set to start from 5th August in Manchester.

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