After Kohli's fitness remark, Manpreet Singh invites RCB star for training challenge
Manpreet Singh has invited Virat Kohli and the RCB squad for a joint training session and yo-yo test. The exchange followed Kohli's admission that Indian cricketers are nowhere near hockey players in terms of fitness.
Indian hockey team midfielder Manpreet SIngh challenged Virat Kohli and the entire Royal Challengers Bengaluru team for a joint-training session. Manpreet wants the hockey players and RCB stars to go head-to-head in a yo-yo test competition.
The former Indian hockey team captain was talking to RevSportz in an interview, where he was quizzed about going up against Kohli. Manpreet is one of the most fittest players in the hockey team and was ready to have the gauntlet with the RCB players.
"Obviously. We want to invite Virat and the entire RCB team to come and do a training session with us. We will compete against each other", said Manpreet.
The hockey icon, however, stated that they will hold the edge over their cricket counterparts if they do end up having a joint session.
"If you look, their game is also difficult. The ball comes so fast. If you ask us to bat, that will be difficult too. The ball comes in at 150 kph speed and that is also difficult."
"His game's requirement is different and ours is too. His is about eye contact, batting, position and other things," he added.
KOHLI'S TRIBUTE TO HOCKEY STARS
Speaking at the third edition of the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit on Tuesday, Virat Kohli emphasised the value of fitness in sports, saying cricketers are nowhere close to matching the fitness standards set by hockey players, estimating it to be not even 15 percent.
"I know people sometimes look at fitness as something extraordinary, but for me it's simply what the job demands. It should be the norm, not something celebrated as special. Cricket is in such prime focus in our country that we often overlook other sports."
"If I'm being brutally honest, we are not even 15% of the fitness of an Indian hockey player. If the hockey players watch our training sessions, they'd probably laugh because their sport demands far more, physically," he said.
Paddy Upton, the former India mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach, had once said that Kohli would be the only cricketer who could survive a session with the hockey team.
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