Mohammad Shahzad dismisses the need to be fit like Virat Kohli to perform on the cricket field

Mohammad Shahzad has been one of the most explosive batsmen Afghanistan has ever produced. He is also an experienced campaigner who doesn’t shy away from expressing himself. The swashbuckling batsman is currently the highest and the second-highest run scorer for the nation in T20Is and ODIs respectively. Moreover, he had previously been crowned as the ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year in 2016.

The 30-year-old cricketer is definitely not a fitness freak unlike say a Virat Kohli, who prioritizes fitness to a large extent. The wicketkeeper-batsman mentioned that it’s impossible for him to follow the routine maintained by Kohli. The heavily built Shahzad weighs a mammoth 90 kg, however, he pledged to work on his physical attributes.

Can hit bigger sixes than Kohli

“Dekhiye hum fitness bhi poori karte hain aur khaate bhi poora hain (I work a lot on my fitness but I don’t compromise on food). You want me to have a fitness routine like Kohli, it is not possible, but I am working on it (losing weight),” Shahzad was quoted as saying on TOI.

He is scheduled to play Afghanistan’s maiden Test against India in June. The Nangarhar-born player packs a fair amount of punch in his strokes and has smacked the most number of sixes in limited-overs cricket for Afghanistan. However, he doesn’t find it necessary to stick to a structured diet like Kohli as he feels that he can hit longer sixes than the Indian and has the desired fitness to survive the rigours of cricket.

“Jitna lamba chakka woh (Kohli) maarte hain, main unse zyadaa maar saktaa hoon, zaroorat kya hain unki tarah itna diet karne ki (I can hit bigger sixes than Kohli so why do I need to follow his diet?). …my coach (now Phil Simmons) knows that I can keep for 50 overs and bat for 50 overs. I have never seen it (weight) as an issue,” he added.

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