Suresh Raina credits Virat Kohli for the fitness culture in the team

Veteran Indian batsman Suresh Raina is having a decent run in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Playing for the Chennai Super Kings, Raina has scored some very good knocks in the season thus far. The veteran cricketer is eyeing an India berth for the 2019 edition of the World Cup now. To ensure his dream stays alive, he knows he has to keep the fitness levels up.

Recently, as per the quotes in India Today, Suresh Raina stressed on the importance of maintaining good fitness levels. He recalled how things have evolved in the past decade or so. Raina has credited Virat Kohli for bringing in this change in the Indian dressing room. He noted that Kohli has ensured that all players in the playing eleven are fit and running.

“It (fitness) is very important these days. I remember… long time back, around 10-12 years ago, I underwent a knee operation. There weren’t too many facilities back then and it took me 8-9 months to regroup. However, there is a great setup in place. All thanks to Virat,” Suresh Raina quoted.

“He (Kohli) has made a system wherein a player has to field well apart from his primary task of batting or bowling. This duty was earlier performed by Yuvi paa (Yuvraj Singh), Kaif bhai (Mohammad Kaif) and me. But now all the 11 players have to be on their toes because the level of the game has increase and you have to make a difference, always. So, that’s how it has become a system,” he added further.

‘Fitness is the important mantra’

Commenting further on the same lines, Suresh Raina pointed out the benefits of the same. He noted that staying fit has become a way of life for the players now. They have realized that the more they train, the better they will get.

“It is in your blood now… what you eat, how much sleep you need and most importantly, how do you feel mentally. And personally, I feel, they more you train, the more you become calm, patient. So, fitness is an important mantra of life,” Raina remarked.

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