Virat Kohli’s famous interview with American journalist Graham Bensinger on his fitness transformation was recently remembered by Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan.
Sai Sudharsan, who was included to India’s ODI team for the South African trip, is now playing for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Despite only accumulating 160 runs in four innings so far in the competition, the left-hander has been on fire in India’s domestic circuit.
Sudharsan had a fantastic IPL 2023 season with the Gujarat Titans (GT) earlier this year, amassing 362 runs in eight games at a great average of 51.71 and a strike rate of 141.41. His 96-run innings in the final against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) almost helped GT win back-to-back titles. Unfortunately, they were defeated in a heartbreaking last-ball thriller.
Sai Sudharsan told India Today that his mother and strength and conditioning trainer Usha pushed him to watch Kohli’s interview during the COVID lockdown.
“That interview of Virat Kohli with Graham Bensinger was quite popular,” Sudharsan said. “In separate videos, he would be talking about his journey. That video definitely made a huge impact. In that video, he said that he used to see himself in the mirror and visualise the kind of person he wanted to be.
“That video really helped me as well. I really got motivated a lot. It was lockdown time and it was really helpful, I started training really well.”
Sai Sudharsan
In terms of fitness, Virat Kohli has been the gold standard for numerous emerging Indian cricketers.
Sai Sudharsan is from an illustrious sports family. R Bharadwaj, his father, represented India in running at the 1993 South Asian Games, and Usha, his mother, is a former volleyball player.
“He recognised me and asked me ‘Sai, how are you?” – Sai Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan recalls his first encounter with Virat Kohli during the 2022 IPL season, and how the champion batsman recognized him right away.
Despite making his domestic debut at the latter end of 2021, the Gujarat Titans signed him during the mega auction for the 2022 season. During GT’s historic season, he appeared in five games and averaged nearly 36 points each game.
“The first time I met him two years back in the IPL, I just went to shake hands with him. But he recognised me and asked me ‘Sai, how are you?’. That was very special for me. The first time he saw me, he called my name. Yeah, the feeling of sharing the dressing room with someone I grew up watching, someone who inspired me gives me happiness. I am hoping to really learn a lot if I do share the dressing room with him.”
Sai Sudharsan
With Team India trying to rebuild their ODI squad for the 2027 World Cup, Sai Sudharsan will be eager to seize his opportunity.
The side will play three Twenty20 Internationals against the Proteas, beginning on December 10, followed by three ODIs and two Tests.